


Percy Jackson and the Avengers

by eatyourhartout



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avengers Family, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Crossover, Demigods, Gen, Light Angst, Post-The Heroes of Olympus, Prophecy, canon pairings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-05-16 07:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 83
Words: 31,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eatyourhartout/pseuds/eatyourhartout
Summary: Annabeth is gone and Percy's world stopped.Fury finds a strangely thin file on a certain demigod/suspected terrorist.Avengers Assemble.Prophecies are spoken.Post Giants War, Pre Winter SoldierMinor Swearing





	1. Chapter 1

_Fury_        

  

        S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury looked over the shockingly small file in his hand. It contained a single sheet of paper stamped _classified_ in bright red ink.

 

* * *

 

 

Case Number: 632056

Subject: Perseus Jackson

DOB: August 18, 1993

Age: 18

Family:

Mother: Sally Blofis nee Jackson

Author

Father: Unknown

Lost at Sea; Missing Presumed Dead

Stepfather: Gabe Ugliano

Missing Presumed Dead

Stepfather: Paul Blofis

High School English Teacher

Physical Description:

Height: 6'4'

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Green

Notes: Suspected Terrorist Activities

Expelled from 7 schools

Caused his class to fall into a shark tank at SeaWorld

Blew up school bus with civil war cannon

Was present during multiple explosions at different schools

Seen near a bus explosion in New Jersey

Seen near St Louis Arch explosion

Went missing for nine months

Vanishes every summer; only scattered reports of sightings all around the country

Seen in the vicinity of several terrorist attacks in and around Europe over the past summer

Suspected of kidnapping mother and taking her cross country at age 12; later confirmed he was one of the hostages. Escaped along with two other minors of the same age after a shootout in California. Kidnapper still at large.

 

* * *

 

 

         Fury rubbed his temples. He had nothing more than rumors and shadows regarding the young man's life. He looked at the blurry photographs they had managed to obtain. Most of the images were too damaged or blurry to even be certain it was Perseus. The most recent, clear photo they have of him was taken from a middle school yearbook.

        For someone to be so effectively hidden from S.H.I.E.L.D. while being near so many near disasters was clearly a threat. This kid had also somehow evaded both surveillance and capture for the past two weeks. Three separate S.H.I.E.L.D. response teams have failed in tracking him down. He vanished every summer and turned up all over the country just as various disasters occurred. It was time to deal with the threat. He pressed the intercom on his desk.

         "Agent Hill. Call the Avengers."

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Steve Rogers_

 

          "You want us to do  _what_  now?" He demanded. Steve had done a lot of things he wasn't comfortable with doing in the name of public safety, including ordering a portal closed while his friend was on the wrong side of it. But kidnapping a kid? That was a step to far, even for Director Fury. All of the present Avengers looked shocked and uncomfortable.

          "With all due respect Director, I agree with Cap. We can't get away with taking a minor off the streets like that." Bruce agreed, shaking his head. Fury leaned back in his chair, seemingly relaxed. 

          "Besides, he was cleared of all suspicion in every case. We don't have grounds." Barton pointed out as his eyes scanned down the briefing sheet in front of him. 

         "It's suspicious. Look all I want you to do is bring the kid in for a couple of questions. He is an unknown, and a potential threat that we must evaluate. Dazzle him with the Earth's Mightiest Heroes routine and bring him in. There is something about this kid that's off. I want to know what. I don't care if you lead him in with a trail of breadcrumbs or bloody and bruised. Just get it done." With that the formidable director of the most powerful intelligence agency in the world left the room. The Avengers all traded looks while toying with the surprisingly thin file. 

         "Fine. We'll go tomorrow. We can try his house first." Steve said quietly. The other Avengers nodded uneasily. He didn't blame them. The idea of taking a kid wasn't sitting well with any of them. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Percy_

 

         Percy watched the shrouds burn. So many dead. His family, friends, comrades fallen in a war to save Olympus; and the world. Again. Gaea was defeated, and both camps had made peace after Octavian's death. But the cost had been steep.

        Neither Leo nor Annabeth survived the end of the battle on the shores of Camp Half Blood. Both of his friends had given up their lives to protect the world from the dirt queen. Neither did dozens of hunters, Amazons and campers from both camps. He stood to the side, the torch he'd used to light the pyres still loose in his hand. He dropped it to the ground and walked away from the low black flames. Percy just wanted to disappear, but he knew there were still things to be done to clean up from the giants. A long list os tasks to be carried out before the camps could start to recover. The worst was yet to come.

          Nico waited for him at the edge of the woods. His face pale and drawn. Will Solace was giving him a last few stern instructions.

          "You go there, eat a square of ambrosia and come straight back. No pit stops, detours or other Underworldy powers. Clear?" Nico nodded solemnly at the golden haired son of Apollo. He looked to Percy and held his arm out.

          "You know this could wait until tomorrow." He said softly. Percy shook his head.

          "No. I have to do it now. Otherwise I'll never do it." Nico nodded, pity written across his young features. Percy gripped Nico's arm tightly and they melted into the shadows. 


	4. Chapter 4

_Percy_

 

          They stood outside the small house in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge a dark silhouette against the setting sun. Nico stuffed a square of ambrosia into his mouth and chewed slowly as Percy took several shaking breaths. He gathered every last shred of courage he had left and knocked on the front door.

          He flashed back to the winter Annabeth had disappeared when Mrs. Chase opened the door for him, her dark hair tied back. Percy fiddled uncomfortably with the small bag in his hand. He stood with his spin stiff as he looked at the woman standing in front of him. 

          "Mrs. Chase, is Dr. Chase home?" Annabeth's stepmother's hand fluttered over her heart.

          "Why?" She asked hoarsely, stark fear covered her face.

          "Where is Annabeth?" She whispered. Percy just stood there, looking at his feet fighting the tears in his eyes back. Dr. Chase suddenly came down the stairs, his expression slightly dazed and distracted. 

          "Honey have you seen my..." He trailed off when he saw Percy standing in the doorway, his wife transfixed with a look of horror on her face.

          "I'm sorry." Percy choked out. Dr. Chase sank down to the floor, his face pale. Mrs. Chase let out a cry like a wounded animal. Percy couldn't stand it anymore. He held out the bag which Mrs. Chase took with shaking hands. She opened the ties and tipped the contents out. Inside was the Harvard ring, the letter Dr. Chase had written to her about reconciliation when she was ten and the one picture she'd saved of her and her father by the Sopwith Camel he'd once used to help them fight the Titans.

          "How?" The man asked brokenly, taking the objects Percy had delivered from his wife's hands.

          "She is a hero." Percy said, avoiding the question. They didn't need to know. Percy couldn't talk about it without breaking down anyways. Better to not discuss it at all.  

          "How?" Dr. Chase demanded more angrily. Percy shook his head. He couldn't close his eyes without seeing it, hearing her scream. Her parents didn't need to know.    

          "You don't want to know." He whispered. Mrs. Chase wrapped her arms around her husband as he began to sob.

          "The gods themselves made her shroud." Percy whispered, each word a knife to his heart but necessary. He'd promised Annabeth to tell her family. And he wasn't going to fail her a second time. "Hades said he would fast track her paperwork to Elysium. She has a headstone in the Valley of Heroes." Percy passed them a slip of paper. 'That's how to get there." Percy choked. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't stand on the porch of her house when she wasn't here to live in it anymore. He started to back away. 

          "I'm sorry." He managed to force out again before turning and fleeing back to where Nico was waiting. 


	5. Chapter 5

_Tony_

 

          Tony Stark muttered as he sorted through the kid's history. Fury had been right. The kid was basically a ghost. Nothing but some school records to track him with. What kind of teenager doesn't have social media? Or isn't seen on security cameras? The most recent thing he could find was the notification that Perseus Jackson would be homeschooling instead of attending public school. And then the trail just ends. With a few very blurry photos from the west coast and Italy the kid just vanished. He hated not being able to solve a problem.

          "JARVIS, bring up the mother again." 


	6. Chapter 6

_Percy_

 

          Percy shuffled out of the house, not touching the blue pancakes his mom had made for him. He knew she was worried about him, but he just couldn't bring himself to stay in New York. He needed to be at Camp. He wanted to be surrounded by her legacy.

          "You don't have to go back yet Percy." She reminded him gently. His baby sister Zoe gurgled happily on the floor. Percy swooped down to give her a kiss on the top of her head. He hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder.

          "I know. But I want to. I'll come home to visit as much as I can." He said, pasting on a tired smile. Sally Jackson nodded her head as she handed him his duffle bag.

          "Be careful." Percy huffed out a laugh. He hugged his mom tightly.

          "I always am." Sally scoffed even as her son walked out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

_Bruce_

 

         It was wrong. He knew it was. The kid wasn't even eighteen years old, and if they couldn't talk him in, they were being ordered to bring him in by force. And without Thor they couldn't outvote Fury's directive, and he isn't due back on Earth for another few days. Bruce watched from the security of his desk in Tony's lab as Steve and Romanoff approached the small apartment building in Manhattan. The school day was just ending and they were expecting the kid home any minute.

         "Do we even know where this kid goes to school?" Tony muttered. He was hovering over Bruce's shoulder as they watched the camera screens. Bruce shook his head. Steve and Natasha wandered up and down the street, scanning the crowd.

         "I'm going to look around back." Natasha said into her ear piece before breaking off down an alley.

 

* * *

 

         They were still waiting for the kid to come home hours later.

         "Where the hell is this kid?" Tony exclaimed as he tossed popcorn into his mouth. It was dark out and through the lit windows of the apartment they could see the mother, Sally, sitting down with her husband Paul at the dinner table, quietly feeding a squealing baby. Neither parent looked particularly worried that their son had yet to return home from school.

         "Wait. It's the beginning of August. School isn't in session yet." Clint suddenly blurted. All the Avenger's froze, as the information scrolled through their minds. Bruce dropped his face into his palms.

They were idiots. 


	8. Chapter 8

_Natasha_

 

          They'd staked out the parents place for three days and Perseus Jackson was never home. None of the Avengers knew what to make of it. Natasha sighed as she sipped at the coffee in her hand. She was leaning against the bus stop sign when a large white van emblazoned with  _Delphi Strawberry Service_  on the side, the logo of a winged horse flying next to the stylized words. She almost dismissed it except that Sally Jackson emerged from her house at that moment. She stood in the doorway of the apartment building watching the van. Natasha casually walked closer, dropping her half drunk coffee into the trash can.

          "Someone tell me what's going on with that van." She muttered into the ear piece. Banner's voice crackled through the device.

          "A couple of kids are getting out. Hold up, wait, there he is! Perseus Jackson is here." Natasha grinned to herself.

' _Finally.'_  She thought to herself. Steve moved in from the other side, the two of them trying to get close enough to talk to the kid before he vanished into his house. But by the time she'd crossed the road, it was too late. Perseus Jackson, along with four extra witnesses had vanished inside the apartment.

         "We can wait until he's alone." Steve suggested lightly. Natasha just sighed. 


	9. Chapter 9

_Percy_

 

          He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to Frank and Hazel yet. Reyna had assured them that Frank wasn't needed for a couple more days and so the remaining members of the seven decided to get away from camp for a couple days. They could all use a break from the rebuilding efforts anyways. Percy had called his mom, and a few hours later, they had spent the day in the city together before heading home to his mom's apartment.

          He lay on his back, listening to the soft breathing of his friends. At least he hadn't failed  _them_. He had managed to protect Jason and Piper and Hazel and Frank and dozens of other friends. He had _saved_ them. He protected his family. He didn't fail them. He didn't. Percy repeated those words in a constant mantra inside his head; helping him keep a tight hold on his fracturing sanity.

          Percy didn't dare close his eyes. He knew as soon as he did, all he would see was  _her_. Her eyes, her hair, the bright smile she had when he did something stupid that made her laugh, her  _laugh_. The dreamy look in her eyes when she talked about architecture. Those were good things. But then he'd see her go over the cliff at Westover hall, see her trapped under the weight of the sky on Mt. Othrys, pale and strained. He'd see her terrified and resigned before they fell into Tartarus together. He'd watch her stumble around too close to the cliff's edge, blind from the  _arai_. He re-live her being attacked and stabbed and poisoned a thousand different times a thousand different ways over the years. And finally he'd be frozen, trapped in the thickening mud as she died in the battle against Gaea. 

          Percy quietly got up. He pulled on a sweatshirt before he made his way to the fire escape. Sliding up the window he stepped outside. The moonlace plant Calypso had given him glowed brightly in the moonlight. He carefully dug up the original flower, the one the rest had eventually sprouted from. He cupped the small plant in his hands as he made his way down to the street. He walked to a small cemetery near his house. At the entrance he fished out a single gold drachma from his pocket.

 _*"Ο Όλυμπος μου παραχωρεί τη μετάβαση στην Κοιλάδα των Ηρώων."_ Percy muttered and the gates glowed briefly. Percy stepped through into a beautiful garden.

          The Valley of Heroes was a hidden graveyard of fallen demigods, where the souls that had earned Elysium got a small memorial so that for as long at their headstones were visited they would never fade. All uninvited mortals could see the specific headstones being visited but not the garden itself. One of the very few godly places that some mortals were permitted to enter.

          Scattered beneath the night sky were many intricate marble headstones. Percy made his way to the center, where the newest stones appear. Walking by he would stop to touch the headstones with names he recognized; Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew, Bianca Di' Angelo and so many more of his friends. Finally he reached one near the very center of the garden, made from white marble, silvery veins running through the smooth white stone. He ran his fingers over the words engraved in both ancient greek and english.

Annabeth Chase

July 12 1993 - August 1 2012

Hero of Olympus

_She never took the easy answer, even if it got her in serious trouble_

          Resting on the tombstone was a replica of her favorite dagger, the Mark of Athena coin and several photographs of her with various camp friends. Percy noticed her father's Harvard ring as well. Her mortal family must have visited the enchanted graveyard recently. Percy dug a small hole in front of the headstone, carefully planting the silver flower. He poured a little nectar over the plant and watched as it perked up, the silver glow casting small shadows on the tombstone. He rested his forehead against the cold marble; allowing the tears he'd held back all day to fall down his cheeks. In the empty cemetery, surrounded by only the dead, the greatest hero of the age finally allowed his defences to fall.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> *Olympus grant me passage to the Valley of Heroes


	10. Chapter 10

_Clint_

 

          Clint Barton heard the alarms go off just as J.A.R.V.I.S's automated voice echoed through out Avenger's Tower that Perseus Jackson had been spotted leaving his home. He rolled out of bed, snagging his bow as he caught a glimpse of the clock. He groaned at the 3:45 am wake up.

 _'This kid better be doing something really really dangerous. Or illegal, to be waking us up at this ungodly hour of the day.'_ Clint thought as he followed the rest of his yawning team to go apprehend the kid. 


	11. Chapter 11

_Steve_

 

          It felt wrong to be following the kid to a cemetery at this hour of the day. He waited for the boy to exit, swiping at tears that were still leaking out of his eyes. Steve sighed as he turned to his teammates. 

          "Let's try to talk to the kid first. Give him the full Avengers treatment. Leverage the hero worship, and if that doesn't work; he'll know we mean business." He listened to the mumbled agreements from the rest of the team. Cautiously he stepped out from the side street he'd been lingering in. The boy looked up at him immediately, eyes flashing a challenge. The kid didn't look surprised that he was there, instead he looked like he'd been waiting for Steve to reveal himself. Steve was taken aback by the intensity of Perseus's gaze.

          "Hey kid. My name is Steve Rogers, mind if we talk a bit?" 


	12. Chapter 12

_Tony_

 

          The kid was frozen on the sidewalk. He hadn't seen any of the other Avengers yet, Tony was sure of it. Then the kid opened his mouth.

          "I'm not going anywhere with a bunch of adults dressed in spandex in the middle of the night." They were all shocked. No way the kid saw them, Tony had even switched the suit to stealth mode, all the glowing machinery dimmed to a dark blue color to match the night sky. The kid started to walk again, brushing past the stunned Steve Rogers.

          "Look kid, we have orders. I'd rather do this nice and easy out here rather than drag you back to hand you over. Please don't make me do that." Rogers had gotten his senses back and grabbed the kids arm. But a minute later he was flat on his back. Tony wheeled back in shock. An eighteen year old kid had executed a textbook judo flip on Captain America as though it was nothing. Perseus Jackson was dangerous. And weird.

          "Nat."

          "I'm on it." Came the immediate reply to his request. The assassin slipped along the rooftop before taking a silent leap at the kid. Captain America got back to his feet and joined her, leaving his shield strapped to his back.

          "Look, just leave me alone. I don't want to hurt any of you." The kid said, his voice nearly toneless as he dodged to the side, leaving Natasha scrambling to reorient her plan of attack. Tony scoffed incredulously, even as a tendril of doubt unfurled on his stomach.

 _'How does this kid know that there were more of them here? And how the hell is he escaping both Cap and Nat?'_ He wondered as he swooped closer. The kid picked up his pace, dodging around the coordinated attacks of the two Avengers. Tony swooped down in front of the kid, trying to stop him but the kid just hit the dirt, sliding under Tony, and the suit, before he could catch him. Racing after him the three Avengers rounded the corner to find nothing. Not even the echo of footsteps.

          "Clint, you see him anywhere?" Natasha demanded into the mike.

          "No. He ducked into a blindspot and I lost him."

          Tony swore. Violently. 

          "Language!" 


	13. Chapter 13

_Percy_

 

           It was time for Frank and Hazel to leave for Camp Jupiter. Percy stood with Jason and Piper at the Greyhound stop with him waving at their friends. Percy refused to let his anxiety at separating show. It was irrational, he knew, but he was terrified that if he let them leave, if they got that far out of his reach; he wouldn't be able to protect them and that they'd get hurt. Or worse.

           Percy reminded himself, again, that Frank and Hazel were incredibly powerful demigods; they knew how to take care of themselves. Plus they were headed for Camp Jupiter; which was just as protected and safe as Camp Half Blood is. Once the bus was out of view he turned towards Jason and Piper.

           "See you back at camp?" He asked, fighting to keep his voice even and neutral. Percy was not panicking. He really wasn't. Or so he told himself. Piper nodded.

           "Tell Chiron we'll be back in a couple hours. We're just going to see a movie and then head straight back to camp. Perfectly safe." She assured him. He knew she was trying to make him feel better just as much as she wanted him to deliver the message to their mentor. Percy smiled wanly at his friends. Waving he started to walk back to his mom's apartment. He wanted to get a few extra cookies from his mom before he went back to Camp for the rest of the year. After the war he'd used his boon from the gods to retire. No more quests, no more monster killing, no more world to save. He didn't want to be on the frontlines anymore. He'd rather work for Chiron now; training the next generation of heroes, quietly waiting until he joined Annabeth in Elysium. All Percy planned on doing now was teaching sword fighting at both camps, maybe take a few classes at the college in New Rome, go to the beach a little. He'd outlived enough friends. 

           Percy started to get the prickling sensation on the back of his neck that meant he was being watched. He slowed down imperceptibly, and took a casual look around. He spotted the red headed woman and the blonde mortals from the night before quickly enough. This time neither of them wore the strange costumes. Percy slipped closer to a large group of people, looking for the safety of a herd. He listened as carefully as he could and heard the quiet whirr of machinery over the usual hubbub of the busy bus station. The man in the flying suit was here too. Percy stepped closer to a jewelry store, looking in the reflection. He spotted a man in black, a bow at the ready. That made at least four. He sped up again, heading for a street corner to hail a cab from. But just before he could, a man with greying hair and a tweed jacket bumped into him.

           "I'm sorry about this." The man said, his voice soft.

           "Don't worry about it." Percy muttered walking away.

           "No, for this." Suddenly Percy felt a small pinch of a needle in his arm. He looked down to see the man had depressed a syringe into his arm. Percy snarled at the apologetic man even as he slumped to the ground, his vision going black.


	14. Chapter 14

_Bruce_

 

          Natasha was right. It was easy. But Bruce felt terribly guilty as the kid crumpled to the sidewalk. Steve swooped in and caught him on his way down, making sure the kid didn't hit his head. Bruce grabbed his other arm as they walked him as naturally as they could to the van where Natasha was waiting for them.

          "Perseus Jackson is in custody." Nat said into her earpiece. Tony's voice came back through the speaker.

          "Bring him back to the tower. Fury wants us to interrogate him." Bruce tried to remind himself that the kid was a suspected terrorist; after all he had blown up several schools and a bus. Among other things. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that they'd bitten off more than they could chew. 


	15. Chapter 15

_Percy_

 

          He woke up slowly in a drug induced haze. Tears were still drying on his cheeks as he shook off the affects of the nightmare. Annabeth's death had played across the back of his eyelids like a horror movie he can never escape. Percy forced himself to concentrate as he took in his surroundings. He was in a dark interrogation room, a one way mirror all along one wall. Percy was handcuffed to a chair, a plain metal table in front of him. He glanced at the mirrored viewing window. Narrowing his eyes, he let the distraction of the shine and his own reflection fade away to see five people behind the observation glass. He smirked and winked, as he realized that he'd never made it home. Maybe they didn't know where his mom lived. He hoped so. How long had he been out for? Chiron would be worried about him, so would the rest of camp. What would happen if they tried to IM him? He had no way of explaining an Iris message to mortals. And if one appeared in front of him now, well there was only so much the Mist could cover up.

          Percy was jerked out from his reverie by the sound of the door opening. The red headed woman entered. She fixed Percy with a stern gaze, likely trying to intimidate him. And if had been any other week, any other kid, he might have been. But Percy had walked through Tartarus and battled with primordial forces older than time. No mortal could scare him anymore.

          "What's your name?" She asked. Percy just sat there, debating whether or not to answer. Annabeth's voice echoed in his mind.

' _Seaweed Brain.'_  Percy flinched. The woman's sharp eyes caught it, her face impassive even as she waited several seconds for his answers. She opened her mouth to say something else when Percy finally came to his decision.

          "I'm Percy." 


	16. Chapter 16

_Steve_

 

        Steve didn't know what to make of Perseus Jackson. The kid was different.

        When the teen had woken up handcuffed in an interrogation room he had been completely calm. The kid just quietly unlocked the handcuffs he was in, surprising Steve. He'd been shocked when the kid had then proceeded to lock them back onto his wrists and repeat the process again. And again. He hadn't flinched under Natasha's glare and had answered every question, but most of the answers were near useless. The only reaction they'd gotten out of him was in the beginning when he'd flinched out of the blue before answering the first question about his name.

        Nat walked back into the observation room. Perseus, or Percy as he'd introduced himself, was leaning back in his chair now looking bored. Just an ordinary teenager. Except he was too calm. Too collected. And Steve knew that he'd caught a glimpse of something in the cemetery the night before; something dangerous. Something terribly sad and broken. Whoever the kid had felt obligated to visit at three o'clock in the morning had mattered to him, and mattered a lot. 

        "I'll go in next." Steve offered when Natasha walked into the observation room where the rest of the Avengers were observing. Natasha shrugged, a silent acceptance of his request. He picked up an unopened water bottle before heading to the interrogation room. When he opened to door to the interrogation room the kid barely blinked.

        "Can I ask a question?" Percy abruptly asked. Before Steve could even nod he plowed on. 'Who are you people? What do you want with me?" His tone matched Steve's when he demanded to know what Tony was thinking after he did something stupid. A tone that said he wouldn't accept anything but the truth. Nothing but the full truth. Then Steve registered the question.

        "I'm Steve Rogers. Captain America, from the Avengers." Steve said cautiously. He thought back to when they had first met the kid just that morning. He hadn't recognized them then either.

        "Sorry, but the who?" Percy asked, sitting up straight. He clearly had no clue who they were. Steve wasn't sure how to respond to that.

        "The Avengers. Earth's mightiest heroes, we saved the planet a few months ago?" Steve elaborated slowly, still shocked. He never considered himself particularly egotistical, but the Battle of New York was a big deal. It had been broadcast all around the world. Percy shrugged.

        "I've had a busy year." His expression was fairly neutral, but something in his eyes hardened, grew colder. Steve blinked even as he passed Percy the water bottle. Steve leaned back, folding his arms across his broad chest watching the teenager chug the water back.

        "Doing what? It was all over the news." Percy swallowed the last of the water. Wiping his mouth the bottle crinkled a little as he answered.

        "Family drama; wasn't really paying attention to outside news." He said vaguely. Steve sighed.

        "Look kid," Percy interrupted

        "Don't call me that." Steve plowed on.

        "... I can't help you until you start answering questions. Your record is impressively clean considering how often you are sighted near various, ah, accidents." Steve says slowly. The water bottle crunched under the kid's fist, Percy's eyes flashing.

        "What do you want." He asked shortly. Steve sat up, the kid looked angry and dangerous. And he didn't say anything about his innocence. Something _is_ up with the kid then.

        "Nothing, we just want a few answers." Percy frowned at Steve calling him a kid again.

        "You don't need to kidnap someone to ask these kinds of questions. No matter what your files may say. You want something else." The kid was smarter than he looked. Steve looked at the mirror. He didn't need to see through the glass to know what they were going to do next. He stood up.

        "Follow me." 


	17. Chapter 17

_Tony_

 

          The kid had no idea who they were. It was unbelievable that this kid didn't know who they were. He stood up, ready to march into the next room to dazzle the kid with a full Avengers get up, try and shake loose knowledge of who they were. But just then Steve stood up, gesturing the kid to follow him. The other Avengers left to room, heading for the conference room where Fury waited. He was watching the interrogation remotely. Tony followed his friends into the glass cage, sitting down next to Banner. Steve lead the teen into the room.

          "Percy, I'd like you to meet the Avengers." He waved at the room where Tony sat. The kid just looked bored.

          "Hi." 


	18. Chapter 18

_Fury_

 

         He wanted the kid. No matter what was going on with his summers and the explosions or anything else. The kid would be a valuable asset. They needed someone young to train in case they ever need to replace an Avenger, young enough to be impressionable but someone old enough that they weren't going to be completely idiotic. Or anymore so than the current Avengers were bound behave anyways. Perseus Jackson fit the bill perfectly.

         He'd evaded SHIELD agents for weeks, kept them off his tail for years and managed to escape the Avengers once and noticed enough of them to almost escape a second time. Fury leaned back, relaxed.

         "Who are you?" The kid asked, but he seemed bored, as though the question was a courtesy he was extending. Fury raised his eyebrow.

         "Director Fury."

         "Why am I here Director Fury? Fourth of July here said that he didn't want to bring me in but the boss man was making him. I'm assuming you're in charge of this joint?" The kid has a mouth, and some serious balls; Fury would give him that. 

         "I'd like you to join the Avengers; as a trainee." 


	19. Chapter 19

_Clint_

 

        Every jaw around the table dropped.  _Trainee_? Was Fury serious? None of them wanted to babysit some pyro bomb happy kid with a terrible attitude while trying to protect the world. The only person not shocked into silence was the kid and Fury.

        "Why?" The kid asked calmly.

        "For one thing, you're the only one with a working voice box in this room," Fury said dryly, but the kid shook his head almost immediately.

        "No, not why you want me. I know what I'm capable of. Why should I bother?" The kid asked. Now even Fury was shocked into silence. The kid waited a beat, as if expecting a response. The room was silent.

        "I'm going to go with no." As soon as Percy turned around to walk away the whole room came back to life. It started with Tony bellowing  _WHAT_  and Steve snagging the kid's arm again. Fury was shouting over Banner and Natasha about how it wasn't babysitting while Clint just worked his jaw tightly. He _has_ children, and while none of them were quite Percy's age yet, he knew he had agreed to be in the Avengers to prevent children from having to fight.To protect them from the dangers of their world. Not to be the ones forced to face them.

        Suddenly there was a loud crash as Steve's body slammed into the table. Everyone went quiet.

        "Stop." Fury ordered, his voice dangerously angry. The kid wisely stopped in the doorway.

        "I don't want to be a trainee or an Avenger or whatever. Go pick some other poor sap with a real rap sheet. I have places to be." He flicked his hand over his shoulder as he walked away. 


	20. Chapter 20

_Tony_

 

           The kid didn't want to join? As much as he didn't want to get stuck with babysitting some rookie kid, he was also incredibly insulted. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to join; one that literally thousands of people wrote to them about, begging them to let them in. Who was this kid to just throw it away?

           "Hold it kid." Tony tried to repress the snarl in his tone. The kid turned around.

           "Percy." He said shortly. Tony plowed on.

           "You're really going to throw away the opportunity of a lifetime just like that? Working with us will have a bigger impact on the world than anything else you could do. How selfish can you be? Being trained by us? You would be  _saving the world._ " He emphasized. The kid's eyes flashed with something that looked like dark amuesment before he got angry.

           "You don't know _anything_ about me. Find. Another. Pawn." Percy snarled, leveling him with a glare that honestly scared the older man. Dark and shattered, the raging green eyes bored into his skull, promising something terrible. He flinched a little and the kid smirked.

           "You have a nice day mister." And the kid just walked away. 


	21. Chapter 21

_Natasha_

 

         The Black Widow could see why Fury wanted the kid. He was brave and tough and skilled. Whatever the kid had been involved in, it had taught him a thing or two. The silent Avengers team watched the kid walk down the hallway.

         "Romanoff, you get Perseus Jackson back in here. I'm not done with him yet." Fury snarled. A loud boom of thunder rumbled through the air. Natasha smirked. Hopefully their resident god would do something about the kid.  


	22. Chapter 22

_Percy_

 

          Thunder clapped and Percy resisted the urge to flinch. The King of Olympus had not been happy when Percy had asked to retire. The most powerful demigod of his generation, maybe even in the last millennium, retiring before he died? It was a travesty.

          But the rest of the Olympian council had outvoted him, and Percy had retreated to a quieter life of training half bloods at camp and working on getting his GED while trying to work through his grief. He kept walking down the hallway, looking for the stairs. But then a bright white light erupted in front of him. Percy instinctively closed his eyes, the light reminding him of when the gods called their true forms. When he blinked them open he recognized the blonde god in front of him.

          Thor, Norse god of thunder and storms. He'd met him the when helping train Annabeth's cousin. Percy quickly bowed his head in respect. The most respect he shows most of the gods nowadays. He didn't want to get blasted, even if the thunder god technically owed him a favor. Or two. Or five. 

          "Percy!" The god boomed, Percy flinched as the norse god clapped a hand to his shoulder. 'What are you doing here?" Percy edged around the god.

          "I'm leaving." He muttered, even as he heard footsteps behind him, emerging from the conference room. Thor looked up at the conference room and back down at Percy.

          "Hurry." Was the only thing the god said as he stepped aside. 


	23. Chapter 23

_Steve_

 

          The kid had judo flipped him again! It was getting embarrassing. All the Avengers snickered when the kid looked surprised by Thor's appearance. What none of them had been expecting however, was for him to bow his head, as if he knew who he was. Nor were they prepared for the Asgardian to greet Percy like a long lost friend. Or for him to step aside and let Percy leave.

          "Stop the kid." Fury ordered as they all piled out of the room. The god shook his head.

          "I have no intention of making an enemy of Perseus Jackson or his family. I recommend you don't either." The god warned. Fury growled in displeasure as the kid rounded the corner. A few seconds later he popped back out.

          "Can someone point me to the stairs?" 

 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

_Percy_

 

          The earth's so called mightiest heroes looked at him dumbfounded.

          "We're on the fortieth floor." The dark haired man with a goatee said slowly. Percy nodded back.

          "So can you tell me where they are?" Goatee man shook his head.

          "Just the elevators." He pointed at the shining gold doors. Percy felt himself blanche a little. He didn't do elevators anymore. He wouldn't use them even to visit Olympus, one of the gods just kinda _poof_ -ed him up now. Just then a familiar voice drifted down the hall.

          "Who exactly do you think you are to have made the incredibly foolish decision to kidnap my son?" Poseidon came strolling around the corner, his voice deceptively calm. Percy and Thor both dropped to their knees, bowing. The Avengers just stared.

          "JARVIS?" Goatee man said nervously. Percy flinched when a British voice sounded over the speaker.

           "Yes sir?"

          "How did an intruder get in?"

          "There is no intruder sir." The voice insisted. Fury stepped forward.

          "Who are you?" He demanded. Percy and Thor stood up. Percy sucked in a breath through his teeth. Fury's tone was an excellent way to get turned into a dolphin, or smited or worse.

          "Dad." Percy interrupted. "Let's just go. Mom and Paul are probably worried." He hurried forward and steered his father away from the Avengers as quickly as he could. As it was, he had a feeling none of them would be safe near open water for a while.

          As soon as they turned the corner and were out of sight they dissolved into a sea breeze and disappeared.


	25. Chapter 25

_Tony_

 

         "Ok, what the hell just happened?" Tony demanded. He rushed over to the computer in the wall and pulled up the diagnostics of the building. Not a single door or window had been breached, and JARVIS was fully functional. The only problem he could find was with the camera's on the floor they were currently on; every single one was shorting out. Thor let out a huge sigh of relief.

         "You are fortunate that Perseus Jackson is a forgiving man and that Lord Pose- his father was in a good mood today. You will not be so fortunate ever again. I would not risk angering Percy's father anymore than you already have. And I would also stay away from the ocean for a few weeks." Thor warned, his face creased with concern.

         "Thor what do you know?" Fury demanded, his eye flashing. Point Break growled at the director.

         "You cannot know. I will do what I can to protect you from your foolishness _mortal_. You would do well to ensure I do not regret it." And with that Thor stormed to an open window and flew away.

         "What the hell just happened?" Tony repeated. 


	26. Chapter 26

_Percy_

 

         "You have  _got_  to be kidding me." Percy snarled as Rachel fell. She had partially regained the power of prophecy after she'd started visiting the Grove of Dodona. And the first thing she did was issue  _Percy_  another prophecy. Didn't the fates understand? He was retired! He'd been at camp for three days! He wasn't even two weeks into his retirement before fate dragged him back out of it.

         Rachel looked up from the ground, looking tired.

         "What did I say this time?" she asked curiously, managing to ignore the furious look on Percy's face. He knew it wasn't really Rachel's fault, but he couldn't help but direct an angry glare at the glitching oracle. Nico patted Percy's shoulder awkwardly.

         "Sorry Perce." His cousin said quietly as another camper began to recite the newest prophecy out loud.

 

_Fate in Three Parts_

_First came the sacrifice of warriors who once made this land their home,_

_Whom rest in the eternal peace of Elysian has yet to come,_

_Great tombs of heroes with polished marble hiding an earthen prison,_

_Only mortal eyes can find_

_Fate in Two Parts_

_Son of the Sea God shall rally great allies_

_The strength of neither storm nor mortal can stop the foe._

_A stranger shall not stop until she tears the city or the king limb from limb_

_Famed town must be held by ocean's guide_

_Fate_

_The upper realm shall_ _witness_ _the_ _fall_ _of a king in a house of gold,_

 _For the strength of the ghost king shall hold h_ _er back_ _,_

 _Strength against strength;_ _the king_ _will_ _be restored_ _to power_ _by_ _Poseidon_ _'s son_

_Power unchecked until a trickster returns_

 

         "Another prophecy. Another prophecy! I RETIRED!" Percy snarled. Piper wrapped her arm around him as he started to shake. She started to whisper soothingly, charmspeak wrapped around her words. Jason started to herd the crowd of curious demigods away from the slightly unstable Hero of Olympus as his girlfriend tried to help calm Percy down.

         He took several deep breaths, flexing his fists. Other campers were looking at him curiously even as they listened to the son of Jupiter. He stalked out of the open air mess pavilion, managing to remember to at least shoot Piper a grateful look as he left. He stalked down to the sandy beach, pacing up and down the dunes before giving into the temptation of the waves. He dove in and called the currents to help him shoot along the coast until he started to swim up the East River, waving at the grumpy river god he'd met during the Battle of Manhattan. He quietly pulled himself out and hailed a cab.

 

* * *

 

 

         A few minutes later he was outside his mom's apartment. He knocked quietly so he wouldn't accidentally wake up his baby sister in case she was taking a nap. His mom opened the door cautiously, a celestial bronze dagger sitting in arms reach on the side table. When she saw Percy standing on the porch she opened it wider. Percy just walked numbly inside, sitting down on the couch. 

         "Percy? What's wrong?" Sally asked as she followed him into the living room. Percy just shook his head sadly.

         "I..." Percy started before giving up. 'I don't know. I just wanted to see you." Sally instantly looked worried.

         "Percy, what happened?" He looked up at her.

         "Nothing. Not yet." He said sadly. Sally closed her eyes, letting out a harsh breath.

         "Another quest." She said bluntly. Percy nodded not looking at his mom. Sally Jackson got up and shuffled a few things around in the kitchen. She handed her son a small baggie of blue chocolate chip cookies.

         "Go visit her." Sally said softly. Percy hugged his mother tightly. She always knew what to do. He smiled and waved as he walked out the door.

         "And call Chiron!" Sally called after Percy, 'He'll be worried." Percy waved at him mom to acknowledge her statement. He'd call camp, _after_ he talked to Annabeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the actual Oracles at Delphi way back when for providing the inspiration for the prophecy!


	27. Chapter 27

_Steve_

 

        It had been three days since Perseus Jackson had vanished from Avengers Tower and he was nowhere to be found. It was annoying how good the kid was a disappearing. Steve had made a habit of running through the neighborhood where he lived just to see if he'd run into him accidentally. The extra couple of miles didn't bother him, advantage of being a super soldier, but as everyday passed with no leads he became more dejected. It didn't help that Thor refused to help and would do nothing but drop cryptic hints about how he knew the kid. He had gone running for a second time that day, the tower becoming an unbearably tense powder keg over the issue.

        Almost as though his thoughts had summoned the teenager, Steve slowed down as he noticed Percy Jackson slogging dejectedly through the gateway of the cemetery, tossing something into the little cement planter next to the entrance. Steve kept going; hoping the kid didn't see him so that he could follow him in.

        When Steve circled around to the side entrance he saw Percy kneeling next to one of the newer headstones. He quietly walked up behind the kid, keeping a respectful distance when he noted the tears dripping down his face. Percy had taken out a small bag of blue cookies and had stacked two of them on the ground next to the headstone, as if sharing with a friend. The boy was talking and Steve edged closer to listen in, feeling guilty at his invasion of the kid's privacy.

        "I don't know what to do Wise Girl. I thought it was over, you know? I'd given up enough, but now...."

        Steve hadn't been paying close enough attention to his surroundings, and so he flinched when another voice came from somewhere near his shoulder.

        "You know it's rude to eavesdrop." A short, goth looking kid with olive toned skin and dark hair stood next to him.

        "I know." Steve freely admitted. The kid walked up to Percy, brushing right past Steve. Percy glared at the boy. The boy just looked at him. Percy's face scrunched in displeasure. The other boy sighed, but in the next minute his mouth twisted up into a wry smile. Percy groaned.

        "Fine. But only because if I don't do it on my own they'll make me do it anyways." Steve watched fascinated by the nearly silent conversation the two teenagers had. Percy took the smaller boy's hand and hauled himself to his feet.

        "You be careful Kelp Head. I'll be seeing you real soon. I'm just going to check in with camp for you." Percy ruffled the kids hair.

        "Yeah yeah Ghost Boy. I'll bet you a drachma that my father already sent word. Or our uncle did. Or any of the twelve. Or Rachel did..." Percy trailed off when the other boy, Nico, smacked his shoulder.

        "Stop stalling." Nico turned around, fixing Steve with a slightly unnerving look. "You take good care of my cousin  _Capitano_." On that note the kid walked away. Percy turned to Steve.

        "You can call your friend Fury. I'll join the gods be damned Avengers."


	28. Chapter 28

_Fury_

 

        Fury didn't know what to make of it. Steve had apparently run into Percy Jackson by accident and had gotten him to change his mind about joining the Avengers.

        "Bring him in. Test him. Train him. Send me the finished paperwork." He ordered shortly. He hung up the phone, feeling like he was missing a vital piece of the picture. He didn't like it. 


	29. Chapter 29

_Thor_

 

         He kneeled before the Olympian Council.

         "A new prophecy has been issued. My son is yet again in the center of a world changing calamity. I charge you, Thor Odinson, as a guest on Earth, with his health and safety; just as his heritage as a demigod will charge him with yours." Poseidon boomed, the room crackling with the angry tension of the powerful immortal.

         "Yes Lord Poseidon." He murmured.

         "Then I shall send you my son to guide you and your team to once again come to the aid of the world." Thor would have helped Perseus Jackson either way, but being charged with the task by the powerful god was something else. The Olympians were not known for their mercy on their mortal children, often sending them to fight and die on their behalf without ever meeting their immortal parents. But here was the entirety of the Olympic Council, agreeing to try and protect the single greatest hero of the age.

         "Thank you Lord Poseidon." 


	30. Chapter 30

_Percy_

 

         He walked back into the tall building in the middle of New York City. He swallowed hard as he looked around the grand lobby. When it had first been built Annabeth had gone on and on about how it was such a shame that one of the greatest architectural marvels in the city was such an eyesore. As he and Steve approached the elevator, Percy started to hyperventilate. Visions of Tartarus and fighting through his hordes to get to the Doors of Death began to flash across his mind. He struggled to keep his expression bland and his breathing even. Or to breath at all. A warm hand landed on his shoulder. 

         "Hey, kid. You ok?" Steve's voice registered in his mind. Percy swallowed heavily.

         "Umm. Yeah. I just don't like elevators." He muttered back. Steve looked at him worriedly but Percy forced a wane smile and stepped over the threshold. He gripped the handrail so tightly his knuckles turned white. The elevator music sounded sinister, and Percy heard echoes of the rattling howls and screeches he and Annabeth had heard as they'd held the doors shut during that one horrible trip. His chest tightened and his breathing became even heavier. Then with a sudden ding the doors opened. Percy stumbled out of the elevator as quickly as he could manage with his shaking knees.


	31. Chapter 31

_Tony_

 

          When the kid stepped out of the elevator pale and shaking Tony almost felt bad for him. Almost. Instead he leapt to his feet next to Barton and Natasha, who suddenly had a gun in her hands.

          "JARVIS, what did I say about security...." Tony trailed off when Steve stepped out behind him, a large hand clamped on the shaking teen's shoulder.

          "Fury already approved." Was the only thing he said as he passed by the shocked Avengers. Tony, for once, had nothing to say. Percy just trailed after him.


	32. Chapter 32

_Percy_

 

    Steve lead him to an unoccupied bedroom.

    "You can stay here. We can go get some of your stuff later. I'll be back in ten minutes. We have to test your skills, see how you'll fit..." Steve seemed uncomfortable, scratching at the back of his neck. Percy took pity and smiled at him.

    "Thanks." Steve seemed relieved and gave him an odd half wave before walking out of the room. Percy sat down on the large bed, looking around the large room. Half of his mom's apartment could have fit inside the sleekly designed room. The room was done in grey and white, plain and impersonal. Obviously a guest room, no personality at all.

    Large plate glass windows covered the exterior wall, leaving Percy with one of the better views he'd seen of his city. He wandered into the bathroom and splashed his face, the contact with the water rejuvenating him. He wandered over to the large bed. Percy sank down into the soft comforter. He grinned. Temporarily joining the Avengers had its perks.


	33. Chapter 33

_Natasha_

 

         Steve had walked back out to the living room where everyone was still hovering around in shock. They'd all managed to re-read the unusually short briefing packet before awkwardly standing around; waiting on Captain America, needing Steve's natural leadership to re-stabilize the tower's off kilter atmosphere. But when Steve reappeared, not even he seemed to really know what to do.

         "So how did you convince this kid again?" Tony suddenly blurted out. Steve shrugged looking confused.

         "I didn't. I saw him on my run and he was visiting someone's grave. Then out of nowhere some kid walks up to him and tells him he has to join us. Percy said yes. And here we are." As Steve finished speaking Natasha felt something inside her click back into place and then the Black Widow snapped back into place; the room and it's occupants coming back into stark relief under her clinical assessment. She stood up.

         "Something's off about this kid. He didn't change his mind for kicks and giggles. We need to keep a close eye on him." Natasha pointed to Steve. "And you get to test him first." The tensions broken, everyone laughed as Steve frowned slightly but didn't argue.


	34. Chapter 34

_Tony_

 

          Steve was supposed to be testing the kid first, but Tony wanted to keep working on improvements for the the next version of the Iron Man suit. So he went first to test the kid's intelligence, but he  _really_  didn't want to babysit an amature. Especially a surly teenaged boy who didn't understand what was really at stake. He walked into the interrogation room where Percy was waiting.

          "What do you know?" He asked. Percy just raised an eyebrow.

          "Know about what?" He snarked back. Tony grumbled.

          "Fine, what is heroic in latin?" Tony asked randomly. Percy snorted and shifted.

          " _Heroico metro_." The kid said without missing a beat. Tony frowned as he quickly googled the answer. To his surprise, the kid was right, he'd even pronounced it correctly. Tony's mouth twitched.

          "You know latin?" He said impressed despite himself. If Tony was honest with himself, he didn't actually dislike the kid. He just didn't want anybody new to come in and disrupt the routine of the team. Change wasn't something he liked; unless he was the one creating the changes. The kid nodded shortly.

          "Ok, that's good enough for me." He said and walked out. The other Avengers looked at him agast.

          "What? The kid knows a dead language. He's smart enough."


	35. Chapter 35

_Steve_

 

        Steve smiled kindly at Percy. He'd seen him in the cemetery and felt a flicker of sympathy. Whoever he was talking to was clearly missed. Steve knew what it was like to miss people who had passed on, even while you still desperately needed them with you. 

        "Hey I just want to see how strong you are, so we're gonna head down to the gym ok?" Percy coughed a little nervously.

        "Down?" Steve suddenly remembered the aversion to the elevator.

        "You know what, why don't we arm wrestle instead." He suggested gently. Percy got a stubborn look in his eye.

        "I'm good. Let's go lift."

 

* * *

 

   

        Steve was duly impressed. The kid could bench almost as much as he could. He wasn't even that out of breath!

        Percy kept clenching and unclenching his fists in the elevator and Steve pretended not to notice the slight panting that had started. Just like before he shot out of the elevator as quickly as he could. Steve frowned slightly. He may be new to the 21st century, but even in the 40's soldiers got shell shock. If Steve wasn't mistaken (which he's not) this seventeen year old kid was displaying every sign of it.

 

' _What happened to this kid?'_


	36. Chapter 36

_Clint_

  
          Clint walked back into the interrogation room where Percy was waiting. He held up two bows.   
          

          "We're gonna have some target practice." Percy shrugged and followed him out to the balcony where he'd left two quivers. Clint hit a button and two targets extended out from the edge. When he looked over at Percy he saw that he already had his hands positioned correctly.  
          

          "I should warn you, I'm not much of a marksman." Clint shrugged.

          "I just want to see what you can do. Don't worry if you can hit the target or not." Percy nodded, looking slightly relieved. He pulled back the bowstring, sighting correctly. Clint was impressed. The kid's form was flawless. But when he released the arrow, he missed every time. Clint doubted the kid's ability to hit even the broad side of a barn. Clint went for reassuring. He may be a parent, but he hadn't gotten to teenagers yet.

          "Can't be good at everything right?" Percy shrugged, clearly not bothered at all by his lack of ability. Clint was a little surprised. Most people would have been at least a little disappointed that they hadn't even come close to scraping against the target. But Percy didn't seem to care.


	37. Chapter 37

_Thor_

 

        Thor strode into the room and plopped Mjolnir down on the table.

        "Try to lift it." Was his only order. Percy shrugged. When he had helped Annabeth's cousin, Magnus Chase, Percy had borrowed the mythic hammer to get Magnus out of a sticky situation Thor had accidentally gotten himself into. Ever since then young demigod had an ally in the Norse Lord of Thunder. Percy grabbed the handle with one hand and picked it up. Swinging it lazily he asked,

        "Anything else?" Thor smiled at Percy and took his hammer back, exiting the room without another word. He crossed his arms and looked at his fellow Avenger's awestruck faces.

        "I told you Perseus Jackson is not someone I'd cross."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't actually read Magnus Chase; but I do know that Percy got involved and he saved Magnus at least once. So I made this up because it makes my story work. You don't like it; suck it.


	38. Chapter 38

_Natasha_

 

          She walked back into the interrogation room. Percy looked over at her from where he'd been laying on top of the table.

          "Can you fight?" She asked already knowing the answer. This time the kid actually laughed. Out loud. It made him look like an ordinary kid. She only really noticed how tired and weary Percy looked, the difference between his usual expression and this one stark. He looked his age laughing. Every other time she'd seen him, he was like an old man. Tired and bitter.

          "Yeah." He answered after he managed to calm down a little. She shrugged and left the room. The other Avengers just looked at her.

          "After the show we got the first time we met the kid, I don't think we need to bother testing him."


	39. Chapter 39

_Bruce_

 

         Bruce walked into the interrogation room seconds after Natasha left it

         "What now?" Percy asked, sounding tired.

         "Nothing much today. Just going to do a quick physical. It will take,  _maybe_ , five minutes. Probably less." Percy shook his head.

         "I don't need one. I already have a doctor." He sat up mumbling something about irritating blondes and bedrest.

         "Kid, I need it for my records. But how about this, I'll ask you a couple questions, as a part of the psych eval before we do the physical." Percy tensed, his white knuckled hands gripping the edge. He nodded shortly. Bruce opened his mouth but the kid beat him to it.

         "I have ADHD and dyslexia. I've broken a few bones, never been sick enough for a hospital and I have no strange diseases. I'll see about my doctor sending you any records you need." Percy said. He hopped off the table. 'I'm gonna go take a nap." Bruce shook his head and grabbed the kid's arm. Suddenly the world blurred around him and Bruce was looking at the ceiling. The door slammed shut behind Percy as Bruce fought internally with his other side, trying to keep from hulking out. 


	40. Chapter 40

_Percy_

 

         He had no way to explain the scarring on his body. Fighting his way through Tartarus had left him with more scars than most demigods. And demigods as a whole had more scarring than most normal people. He couldn't even wear short sleeves outside Camp without getting strange looks and sympathetic glances. He knew that if any of the Avengers aside from Thor saw them it would lead to uncomfortable questions. And he wasn't ready to face those yet. And he didn't want to lie anymore than he had too. Being ADHD isn't conducive to remembering complicated cover stories. He walked into his room and turned on the shower. When the room had steamed enough he tossed a golden drachma into the fine mist.

         "O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Sally Jackson." The mist rippled and exposed his mother in the kitchen.

         "Hi honey. Did you make a decision?" She asked gently. Percy smiled tiredly at her.

         "Yeah. But the good news is that I'm probably going to be staying in the city for the time being." Sally smiled wider, her eyes sparkling. Percy felt a sharp stab of guilt. He knew his mom worried about him, and he was glad that for once he could make her happy like that.

         "That's great news sweetie. Make sure you visit as soon as you can. Don't forget to call your cousins and stay safe honey. I love you." Percy smiled at his mom.

         "I'm always careful mom. Love you too." He waved his hand through the mist, cutting the connection. Percy shut off the water and stepped back out into his bedroom. The Avengers were there. Waiting to ambush him.


	41. Chapter 41

_Bruce_

 

         Bruce felt bad about restraining the kid, but the physical was important. And no matter what Percy had claimed, without complete medical records he was going to perform one himself. And he knew he didn't have another doctor, because Tony had tried to use those to track Percy down, and he hasn't had a doctor's appointment since he was about ten years old. When they ambushed him after his shower, Steve and Tony held him down as best they could while Bruce tried to examine him. But the kid was  _strong,_ like escaping from the super soldier's grip strong. However after twenty minutes he'd gotten through most of what he needed to have for his records.

         "Are we done?" Percy asked hopefully. Bruce shook his head.

         "Almost, just a few more things. I just want to ask a quick clarifying question before I check your heartbeat." Percy nodded.

         "Shoot."

         "Earlier you said you've broken a few bones, could you elaborate?" Percy looked thoughtful before tracing his hands up around his body, naming each fracture. After he listed six Bruce held up his hand, stopping the flow of words.

         "How about a number?" Bruce asked softly. Percy started to count on his hands while muttering under his breath. He ran out of fingers before realizing he had an audience. Then he shrugged to himself.

         "A lot." He shrugged again. Bruce recognized a losing battle when he saw one. He nodded, accepting the subpar, and highly concerning, answer. He removed the stethoscope from around his neck.

         "For this last part I'm just going to slide the stethoscope up your back to listen to your heartbeat. It only takes a second." Bruce narrated everything he was going to do before he did it, trying desperately to help Percy be less anxious. He cautiously lifted the edge of his shirt when Percy suddenly threw himself backwards and away from Bruce's hands. But Bruce had seen enough.

         "Hold him down. I need to see under his shirt." Bruce ordered. Percy's eyes widened in panic.

         "Get off!" He growled, thrashing around. Both Tony and Steve threw their body weight against his arms. Banner got a sick feeling in his stomach when he made his next order.

         "Nat, Barton. Restrain him." The two assassins quickly cuffed the kids arms. Percy suddenly went limp, recognizing he'd lost.

         Bruce slid the kid's shirt up his torso, revealing extensive scarring, much of it incredibly recent. Like days old type recent. The Avengers paled as one.

         ' _Who the hell did this to him?'_   Bruce wondered. Steve's hands clenched into tight fists as Natasha went unnaturally still. Barton looked like he was going to puke. Tony was shaking. Bruce was too. He traced a hand down one of the larger ones, a large slash that went from just under his left armpit to the the very top of the opposing hip.

         "Who did this?" Captain America snarled, a murderous look crossing his face. Percy tightened his lips. Staying silent. Tony came forward, his own angry expression matching the other Avengers.

         "Kid, who is responsible for this?" Percy shook his head.

         "No one you can punish anymore." His voice held a flat finality to it. The defeated tone gave Bruce pause. It was clearly over, but he doubted that the responsible party paid. Not in any way that would satisfy the bloodlust he was sure each of his fellow Avengers were feeling alongside him. 

         "I think that's all I need for now." Bruce said quietly. He knew the kid wasn't going to give them anything else. And Bruce had no intention of pushing him, not with the physical clues he's found to what was likely an incredibly traumatic past. The other Avengers took their cues from him and followed him out of the door. 


	42. Chapter 42

_Percy_

          The Avengers finally left the room. Or rather, most of them did. Because as soon as the doctor, Steve, the red head, her blonde buddy and goatee dude left, Thor walked in.

          "Hey man, I'm tired. Do I really need to take another test?" Percy asked annoyed. The norse god of thunder shook his head.

          "No Perseus, son of Poseidon. I am here because on behalf of your father, he sends Olympus's sincerest condolences." Percy barked out a short laugh.

          "Yeah. Thanks. Anything else?" He asked bitterly. The god of thunder fished out a scrap of paper. Percy recognized the omega stamped on the side of it. Stationary from Olympus.

          "Because of the prophecy, the mortal heroes will learn of Olympus. As they technically already know about the gods, you may share your heritage. However it cannot interfere with the quest. Follow the standard protocol, or Lord Zeus will smite you.' Thor rattled off, reading from the notecard. 

          "Lady Athena wishes for me to remind you that while the mortal heroes are an acceptable risk, the rest of the organization is not.' He glanced up, giving Percy an sympathetic smile. 

          "She also said something about not allowing your fatal flaw to control you on this quest. Lady Hestia said to give you this,' Thor held out a small basket. Inside was a tin of blue food coloring. Percy smiled slightly at it. 

          The goddess of the hearth always was his favorite aunt. The only goddess who hadn't tried to control or twist his life, hadn't tried to kill him or vote to kill him. She was one of the few deities who tried to outright protect him; she had after all helped him when he'd fought Kronos two years ago. Thor looked at Percy with pity.

          "Perseus, tales of your quests have reached even Asgard. Many of my people consider you to be one of the greatest heroes, no matter that you are a Greek. My people consider you to be worthy of a seat in Valhalla when your time among the living ends. I consider it an honor to fight alongside you, Son of Poseidon." Percy tried to smile as the god's earnest compliment washed over him.

          "Thanks." Thor nodded and left the room. Percy sank into the pillows, praying to his father for a dreamless sleep. 


	43. Chapter 43

 Dreams

_Percy is stuck in place, his feet trapped in mud. Helplessly he rages as one by one campers and Romans alike fall. Percy snarls, fueling his personal hurricane ever larger, sweeping away entire sections of the monstrous army. But no matter how many Percy destroys, more keep marching over the hills. Percy turns around to see Gaea rise, a wave of earth and mud forming her body. Annabeth pecks him on the cheek before dashing forward, dodging the battling monsters and demigods. Percy shouts frantically after her, but his focus was diverted by another wave of Gaea's army. He slogs forward, the soil sucking at his legs as he tried to advance._

_He blocked out the clanging of weapons, the screams of the injured and dying. He managed to get closer to the primordial goddess as Leo swooped down on Festus, blowing fire, trying to disconnect the goddess from her home turf. Percy funneled his storm against the other side, blowing off chunks of her body, dirt, plants, trees and grass flying everywhere. Gaea just laughed. Suddenly a bright flash of light and a loud boom shook the battlefield. Percy looked up to see Annabeth carrying one of the broken off ballast from the Argo II. Gaea stumbled and fell to a knee._

_Snarling she thrusts her hand out towards Annabeth. Percy was helpless to do anything but scream as a fist of earth thrust out of the ground, surrounding the daughter of Athena, the fingers closing like the bars of a cage. Just as suddenly the space between the bars closed and the hand vanished under the earth. Percy starts screaming her name, over and over._

_The surge of anger, even worse than on the bridge during the fight against Kronos showed in his power. The hurricane around him surged even larger and the ground began to shake. Percy channeled every ounce of his strength into the storm raging around him. The wind screamed and lightning flashed, the power of the storm decimating any monster foolish enough to try to attack the grieving Son of the Sea God. Percy funneled the storm at Gaea's feet, just at the ground shook harder. Percy roared as he thrust his father's power into every crack he could find in Gaea's body, determined to tear her apart so completely that she can never reform a consciousness again, let alone wake up. Festus roared as he and Leo blew white hot flames at the goddess. Suddenly the dragon lifted the weakening deity into the air, pulling her far away from her source of power. Percy continued to send everything he could into tearing her apart when a bright ball of flames coursed through the sky, turning Gaea into nothing more than a mild dirt shower._

_To storm or fire the world must fall indeed._

_Percy dropped the storm, even as the two camps converged on the remains of Gaea's army. Percy raced across the newly solid ground to where Annabeth had vanished under the earth. Percy dug until his hands bled, sobbing her name. Hands pulled at Percy, trying to pull him away. He shook them off. If he dug even deeper, maybe he'd find her before it was too late, maybe someone could heal her. The hands got more insistent._

_"Percy. Percy, Percy_ wake UP!"


	44. Chapter 44

_Steve_

          It had been a couple hours since he and Stark had held Percy down for his physical and the Avengers had all periodically checked in on the sleeping young man. The scars covering the young man's body were serious, not from normal childhood accidents, they couldn't have come even from the unfortunately normal range of possible childhood abuses. Something unspeakable had happened to the kid. Torture. Steve was certain of it. 

          Suddenly Steve heard soft cries. The team were all casting concerned glances down the hall. But they all shot to their feet when a piercing scream of sheer pain came down the hall. Steve sprinted ahead of the others to pull open the bedroom door. Percy was thrashing around his bed violently clawing at the sheets, sobbing the name Annabeth over and over again. He reached the bed first.

          "Percy." He called, he grabbed the kid's shoulder. He kept thrashing, spitting out words in another language he didn't recognize mixed with the cries for someone named Annabeth.

          "Percy," He tried again. The other Avengers has filed in at that point, and were watching Steve try to wake up the distressed teen.

          "Percy, wake up!" Steve shouted a little louder, 'you're ok, it's just..." Just then Percy shot up, grabbing Steve's arm tightly, twisting it skillfully into a painful hold behind Steve's back.

          "Hey, hey. Kid. You're ok, you're safe." Percy's erratic sobs slowed as he looked around the roomful of Avengers. He wordlessly rolled off the bed, adjusting his twisted up shirt that had ridden up, revealing the terrible scarring, before heading to the bathroom. Steve exchanged another glance with his team. They were all thinking the same thing.

_'What the hell happened to this kid?'_


	45. Chapter 45

_Tony_

 

         No one was sure of what to expect from the kid next. He was a mystery wrapped in shadows covered up by the rebellion of high school. Or so Tony was thinking when Percy shuffled out of his room twenty minutes after they had heard him screaming.

         Every Avenger kept an eye on the sullen and subdued teenager as he banged around the kitchen. He started to mix and measure and pour and within a few minutes the sizzle and snap of batter hitting the fryer permeated the large common space. Thor hovered in the kitchen and Tony noted, almost irritated, that every one of his friends had gravitated to the kid. When he followed them in however, he realized they were all salivating over fresh pancakes; that for some reason, were blue.

         Tony reach out, trying to snag one from the plate, earning a harsh smack with the spatula. Glancing around, every Avenger in the room except Steve, who was eating one of the pancakes, had a matching red mark from being hit with the cooking utensil. Weirdly enough, even Natasha had one, and she was a sneaky McSneakerson spy. 

         "How did the Capsicle get one and no one else?" Tony groused good naturedly. Steve just smiled and kept eating.

         "He asked." Percy grunted. Bruce snickered at the slightly horrified look on Tony's face even as the rest of the Avengers sent the kid varying degrees of angry death threats with their eyes. When Percy slid the last of the pancakes onto the plate, Steve grabbed at the kids arm. Black marks on his skin spelled the letters SPQR with a trident and a single black line underneath it.

         "What's the tattoo about?" Steve asked. Percy yanked his arm back.

         "Family tradition." Tony narrowed his eyes, exchanging a glance with Banner. That looked like a brand, burned into his skin, not a tattoo. And if Tony remembered his high school history teacher correctly, that was a Roman tat. Something about the permanence of the republic. Or something.

         "Harsh tradition." Steve commented before going back to his pancakes.

         Percy ignored the curious looks and slid the full plate across the counter at everyone. Strange tattoo temporarily shelved, Tony dove for the pancakes along with the rest of the team. When Tony surfaced, the pancakes slightly crushed and torn in his hand he saw Percy taking his last bite and tossing all the dishes into the sink. He left the room without another word, not giving anyone a chance to question him about the tattoo again. 


	46. Chapter 46

_Bruce_

 

        Bruce was worried. Percy had only eaten half of a single pancake. And Bruce had the impression that if Percy had wanted more of his own pancakes, he could have had them. And why were they blue? Bruce turned all the strange puzzle pieces that made up Percy Jackson when the kid himself emerged from his room, dressed in a sweatshirt, hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

        "Be back in a bit." He said before wandering off towards the elevator. Bruce froze before lunging forward.

        "Hey, you can't go anywhere yet. You haven't been cleared or..." Bruce trailed off when the kid turned his sea green eyes on him.

        "I came in willingly. If you want me to stay I need my things. I need to check in with my cousins, call my family. Unless you plan on trying to keep me here against my will; which I don't recommend, I suggest you get out of the way." Bruce raised his hands placatingly. Just then Romanoff had wandered into the hall. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. 

        "What's going on?" Bruce looked at the beautiful redheaded assassin, at a loss. He wasn't going to let this kid out on the streets alone, especially after they'd only just gotten him to come in.

        "I'm going out." Percy said and started walking down the hall. Bruce looked at Natasha, broadcasting his distress as best he could. She nodded at him.

        "Fine. I'll get the car."


	47. Chapter 47

_Natasha_

 

       Natasha and Percy sat in complete silence as she drove him back to his mother's apartment. She knew that if the kid really wanted to leave, he would have. This way she would also have the opprotunity to learn more about the strange new addition to the tower. Natasha knew better than anyone that information was power. And when it came to Perseus Jackson, she suspected power was something they would need in spades.

        She parked and they both got out, Percy slamming the door harder than necessary and fidgeting in front of the door before it was opened by a pretty middle aged woman with curly brown hair, streaked with grey.

       "Hi mom." Percy said quietly, seeming almost ashamed. Sally sighed and pulled her son into a hug tightly before holding him at arms length, carefully examining him.

       "You aren't eating enough Percy. You need to take better care of yourself. You're going to give me a complex." His mother chided him before the two of them exchanged a strange look. Natasha was surprised that she hadn't said anything about her son having gone missing for almost a day. Nat hovered in the doorway, waiting to be invited inside. She wasn't like the boys, Natasha has  _manners_.

       "And who is this?" Sally Jackson turned and evaluated her warily. Natasha decided she liked the woman.

       "Natasha Romanoff. I'll be training your son to prepare him for the Avengers Initiative." Mother and son snorted at the same time. Natasha was confused. Sure the kid was good, but he has a lot to learn before he would be ready to join as a full member of the Avengers. After all no matter his self defense skills, he was still a kid.

       "Percy go pack. Ms. Romanoff, can I get you anything to drink?" Natasha smiled as she stepped into the small, but clean apartment. A small baby crawled across the carpet, babbling nonsense. Natasha looked at Sally, gesturing at the little girl.

       "May I?" Sally nodded and Natasha scooped up the baby. She rocked and cooed at the infant as she tried to pretend that she could have one of her own one day. Maybe with... she shook herself out of the impossible fantasy as the baby began to cry.

       "Zoe, Zoe." Sally cooed at the baby, "Mommy is right here baby." Natasha handed the baby back to her mother who rocked baby Zoe. Sally lead Natasha into the kitchen, deftly filling a glass of water for her while continually murmuring to the fussing baby. Natasha thanked her and took a sip.

       Suddenly there was a loud crash from the other room and lots of shouting. Natasha shot to her feet, reaching for her gun. She waved an unperturbed Sally to stay behind her. She crept around the corner into the living room to see two strangers tackle Percy. Nat lunged forward to intervene when Sally said from behind her loudly.

       "No fighting inside the house. I'm tired of replacing my coffee table." The three people froze in the center of the room. Now that she could get a closer look both new comers were teenagers younger than Percy, one is a goth boy, with dark hair and cold eyes and a girl about the same age as the boy with short black hair, dressed in a silver coat and a death to barbie t shirt. The girl also seemed to be wearing a silver tiara on her head. Strange. Both of the strangers made the same cold assessment of her that Percy had made when they had first met. Natasha was appropriately unnerved. 

       "Sorry Sally." The two newcomers chorused quickly as they glanced towards Percy's mom, who was hovering in the doorway. The other woman just laughed light from behind Natasha. 

       "You can smack Percy for being an idiot later. For now I have cookies." Sally smiled and tugged Natasha out of the way of the three stampeding teenagers. 


	48. Chapter 48

_Percy_

 

        He slid into the kitchen first, but Thalia hauled him back by the hood of his sweatshirt and Nico kicked his legs out from under him. Percy tripped them both from the ground and reached up to find the plate whisked away by none other than the red headed Avenger.

' _Her name is Natasha_.' Percy reminded himself. He'd only learned it when she had introduced herself to his mother. She held the cookies away from the three murderous glares of the teenagers. He was impressed at how well she withstood the dangerous looks she got from him and his cousins. It was one thing for her and the other Avengers to make him join them; it was another thing entirely to take his cookies. His mom's special  _blue chocolate chip cookies._ Percy was about ninety percent sure he and his cousins were willing to kill for those cookies. 

        "I want names for cookies." She ordered, but Percy still caught the nearly imperceptible twitch by her eyes. She _was_ afraid of the looks in the demigod's eyes. Smart.

        "Thalia. Cousin. I leave town in ten minutes, so give me a dam cookie." Thalia snapped succinctly. Natasha tossed her a few that Percy tried to swipe. The hunter was faster.

        "I expect regular check ins Kelp Head." Thalia warned dangerously before hugging him tightly. She stuffed a cookie into her mouth, smacked both boys upside the head and ran out the door before either could retaliate. Percy heard the front door slam. Nico turned towards Natasha.

        "Nico Di' Angelo. Another cousin. I convinced Percy in the cemetery.' Nico turned to Percy, 'Also Thalia's dad says that you're in dangerously _high_ territory. Be careful Perce." Nico gave a slightly maniacal smile that was entirely for Natasha's benefit. He snagged a few cookies before following Thalia's path out of the apartment. Percy crossed his arms at his new housemate.

        "Percy. I live three doors down from you in Avenger tower. I want my cookies." Natasha smiled and tossed him the cookies. He caught them and started to trudge towards the door, a single duffle bag swung over his shoulder.

        "Is that it?" Natasha asked.

        "All I need." Percy muttered back. With Riptide in his pocket, and Tyson's repaired watch on his wrist, he only needed a few changes of clothes. This was going to be the most convenient quest ever; from a comfort point of view. He hugged his mom and gave Zoe a kiss.

        "Tell Paul I said hi." Sally sighed as she looked at her son.

        "Don't do anything Annabeth wouldn't want you to do." His mother warned him gently, her warm eyes filled with sympathy. He tensed at her name. It was the first time anyone had said anything about her to his face since he went to San Francisco to notify Dr. Chase about her....

        Percy gritted his teeth against the tears threatening to fall. He nodded shortly and walked out the door without another word. 


	49. Chapter 49

_Steve_

 

       None of the Avengers knew what to think of the kid. He woke them up in the middle of the night more often than not, terrible screams echoing down the hall. In the five days he'd been training with them, none of them could really think of how to train him any better than he already was. The kid was like a well trained soldier. It mostly turned into conditioning, cleaning up techniques and learning from each other; not unlike how it had been for the Avengers before the kid had joined them in the tower. 

       They caught glimpses of a bright, funny, personality under the sullen and quiet shell, but none of them understood why he was so miserable. He vanished at least once a day without trace, coming back hours later and clearly upset; one of the few times he showed true emotion. Steve often would return from his morning run to find him in the gym going over well practiced movements he couldn't define. Spinning, advancing, retreating. He looked deadly and serious. 

       They'd quickly learned to not ask him about the names he'd sometimes yell out in his sleep. Those questions often resulted in the kid either vanishing for several hours or going to the gym and beating the shit out of his hands. They all took turns stopping him after a couple hours, bandaging bloody knuckles and making sure he actually goes to bed, or eats or whatever it was they worried he'd forgotten to do that day. Just like they all did for each other on their own respective bad days. Steve just worried how frequent Percy's bad days were. 

       Today had been a good day, for all of them. They were lounging in the living room, while Tony stood in the other room ordering pizza. Percy came in quietly carrying a duffle bag and looked at the group.

       "Is there a pool around here?" He asked. It was one of the few times the kid had shown genuine interest in something at the tower. He doesn't watch TV, hadn't bothered with the XBox, something Steve had been informed everyone liked to play nowadays, and whenever Steve caught a glimpse of Percy not eating, sleeping or working out, he was often staring at overturned photo frames or reading from a book that was definitely _not_ in english. Percy didn't even seem that interested in the words, but would often trace over the images of the buildings inside it, or over the cramped notes that filled the margins. 

       Steve nodded.

       "I'll show you." Percy nodded his thanks and followed Steve into the elevator. He was almost used to Percy visibly tensing in the elevator. Steve wondered what could have caused such a strong aversion to the machine.

       When Percy saw the large swimming pool, his face broke out into a large childish grin. Dropping everything he dove right in with hardly a splash. Steve stayed in the doorway, curious about the kid. But when he didn't resurface after a minute he started to get worried. After it started to get close to two minutes he started towards the pool. He looked frantically around the water when suddenly two hands shoved him from behind. Steve slipped and plunged into the water. When he resurfaced the rest of the team was there, laughing. Steve growled playfully, pulling his sopping wet t shirt off and chucking it at Tony. Then he jerked back with fear. He'd nearly forgotten that Percy was somewhere under water, and hadn't surfaced for several minutes. He started to turn in the water when the kid in question turned up behind Tony, pushing the man into the water. It quickly became a free for all, everyone pushing and splashing and fighting in the water.

       By the end of the day, Steve could see a marked difference in Percy. The day in the pool had been really good for the newest member of Steve's family. 


	50. Chapter 50

_Clint_

 

         He was eating a slice of cold pizza when Percy walked in. All the Avengers had noticed that while the kid was still guarded, he had also loosened up a lot over the past couple of days. Percy sat down and picked up an apple that he just played with. Clint was still worried that kid didn't eat enough and that he worked out too often without cooling down, but over all the kid seemed to be getting better. 

         "You know what I just realized." The youngest Avenger announced to the room. Tony looked up.

         "What is it Baby Avenger?" Clint choked slightly at the newest delineation for the competent teenager. Whatever this kid had done before coming to stay with them, it made him tough, seasoned. Honestly, even kid was a stretch. Buy Tony wants to call him the  _Baby_ Avenger? Even if that's kind of what he is in their little dysfunctional family, it was a bit patronizing. Although, as Clint reconsidered, it  _was_ Tony. 

         "I don't actually know most of your names." This time Tony was the one who choked.

         "You don't know who we are?" The billionaire looked highly offended. Clint remembered that kid hadn't really known who they were when they had first met him either.

         "No." By now Natasha had wandered in.

         "Why didn't you just look us up?" She asked confused. Percy shrugged.

         "With what?" He asked. Now even Clint was confused.

         "With your phone..." Tony trailed off.

         "Don't have one." He shrugged again. Clint dropped his pizza. What kid his age doesn't have a phone? Even his oldest had one now, and Cooper was only ten.

         Now that he'd joined the Avengers, (because trainee was an insult to Percy, and to the rest of the team. He was an unofficial Avenger, and a part of the team) that was going to have to change. For one thing, it would make his frequent disappearing act less stressful. Tony stood up, jabbing at his own phone.

         "JARVIS." Tony said as his fingers typed rapidly on his phone.

         "Yes sir?"

         "Call the others back. We have an introduction that is more than overdue. Oh and order the kid a damn phone." 


	51. Chapter 51

_Tony_

 

        Baby Avenger didn't have a phone. He didn't know their names. He doesn't play video games. Honestly, Percy seemed to be more technophobic than Steve, and he was from the 40's. The kid wasn't anything like what teenagers were supposed to be like; except for the sullen _you don't understand me_ routine.

        When the Avengers had assembled, everyone sprawled in various places around the room. Tony smirked a little before clearing his throat.

        "Alright kid, welcome to the Avengers. Earth's Mightiest Heroes and all." He straightened his collar a little, brushed away some invisible lint before announcing dramatically.

        "Tony Stark. Billionaire, genius, Ironman." He crossed his arms waiting for any of the recognition, any of the shock or awe he'd gotten accustomed to. Something. Anything. The kid didn't even twitch. He just nodded before switching his gaze to Steve, who was sitting just a little over from him.

        "Steve Rogers. Captain America." Percy smirked a little. Tony was offended. That was more of a reaction than he had gotten.

        "That explains the outfit." Tony snorted. Maybe the kid was onto something. Banner was up next.

        "Dr. Banner, uh, Bruce Banner. The other guy is the Hulk." He said in his usual soft voice. Percy just looked at Barton. Tony was surprised. According to the kid's records he'd lived in New York all his life, but he hadn't seemed at all afraid of the Hulk.

         "Clint Barton, Hawkeye."

         "Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow." Some strange expression crossed his face here. Tony couldn't be sure what it was; the look had gone just as quickly as it had appeared. Percy didn't even look at Thor.

         "I know Thor." He waved his hand dismissively. Tony had almost forgotten that. He was about to ask how they knew each other when a bloody and beaten teenager staggered into the room.

         "Percy." The kid gasped as he collapsed. Percy leapt forward catching the pale kid. The rest of the room also leapt to their feet, every eye trained on the newcomer. 

         "Nico, tell me what happened." The kid's voice was one of authority, the way Steve's got on missions.

         "Camp under attack. Anna... Annabeth, she... she's alive." The kid passed out. Percy stood there whiter than a sheet. Who is Annabeth?


	52. Chapter 52

_Percy_

 

 

          She's alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am evil, I know.
> 
> I promise that I have a few longer chapters coming up soon.
> 
> I always love to hear your thoughts! Comments help fuel my creative process


	53. Chapter 53

_Steve_

       He jumped off the couch. The same kid he'd met in the cemetery had somehow made it into the tower without setting off any alarms, before announcing that some girl was alive, and that someplace was under attack, before passing out. Percy looked paler than a sheet. Banner followed him to the kid. But when they reached for him, Percy picked him up, keeping the rest of them away from the kid. He turned and started to walk down the hallway towards his room.

        "Percy you've got to let me check him out. He's covered in blood. Percy. Percy!" Banner was insisting. Percy just clutched the kid tighter to his chest and walked into his room, the door slamming and locking in their faces. Tony raced towards a computer, pulling up the security feeds just in time to see Percy put duct tape over the cameras as his friend lay lifeless on the bed.

         "Break the door down." Steve ordered, his voice tight. Tony looked pained but didn't argue. Thor looked resigned and stood back as Barton and Romanoff brought in a small battering ram. They counted down and slammed the door in.

           Steve was shocked to find the room empty except for the bloodstained sheets.   
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. The last chapter kinda cheated you out of your update. But it was kinda necessary. 
> 
> So I'm not that sorry.
> 
> But to make up for it I'll post an update everyday this week. :) enjoy!
> 
> Remember, I love comments!


	54. Chapter 54

_Percy_

         Nico had eaten as much ambrosia as he could without combusting and shadow travelled them both to camp. When Percy arrived all he saw was carnage. Maybe two hundred different monsters massed just outside camp borders.

         Even though camp had grown, the wars had done its damage. A lot of the campers were greener than grass in spring. But the veterans who were left? On the greek side, that was two dozen of the toughest, bravest, most experienced, battle hardened war veterans since the gods still lived in the Mediterranean. For once, the odds weren't stacked that far against the demigods. But they were tired. Tired of war, of blood, of losing comrades. Percy felt an anger he hadn't felt since Annabeth had died.

         ' _No, not died. Disappeared.'_ Percy corrected himself. He couldn't think about her yet. Camp was under attack and he wouldn't fail his family. Never again.

         He strode to the battered front lines, meeting up with Clarisse. The daughter of Ares barely glanced at him before dismissing the newbies she was reprimanding. He sighed as he listened to her tell off the two demigods for insubordination and nearly getting another camper killed.

         "Get out of my sight. I don't want to see either of you fighting, you'll only get someone else killed. Make yourselves useful. Clean your cabins for inspection or something. Just get out of the way." She snapped. The two boys scrambled out of the angry half blood's way.

         "Clarisse. Tell me what's going on." He ordered. She nodded, falling in step with him on his right as they strode over the hill.

         "They're children of Gaea, the survivors at least. The nastier monsters she managed to raise from The Pit before, well you know. A few monsters from what's left of her army. They've been attacking the borders in waves for the last few hours." Percy shook his head. Camp hadn't recovered enough for an attack on this scale. He uncapped Riptide.

         "Well. I guess it's time we sent them back, don't you think?" He looked at his one time enemy, a lopsided grin fixed firmly over his face. This he knew. This Percy could fix. He could smile and joke and defend his family. Clarisse smiled grimly back.

         "I guess you're useful for something Prissy." The two veterans exchanged tired looks before charging down into the melee.

         "Cabin 5, phalanx!" Clarisse yells over the din. The Ares cabin immediately locks their shields together, a wall of bronze for the campers to retreat behind temporarily. Weapons bristle over the top as the monsters snarl and pull back. For a moment the two opposing forces are watching each other. Percy signals for the ranged weapons. The archers draw their bows.

         "Fire!" Percy calls. Arrows arch over their wall and monsters charge, many of them disintegrating.

         "Ares, hold the line!" Clarisse calls. The other demigods begin to branch out in front, ducking around and behind their defensive position around the camp borders. Percy throws himself into the fight, his sword flashing in the light. His ADHD kicked into high gear, taking in everything and nothing all at once.

         The Ares cabin is holding the line, the rest of camp using them as a base to rally around. He catches glimpses of the Stolls battling hellhounds. He hears Piper's voice echoing across the field, her compulsion wrapping around the tired demigods, pushing them to fight harder.

         At one point he has Nico at his back, the two of them ducking and dodging around each other, perfectly in sync after fighting together for years. Nico gestures and a wave of undead soldiers rise. Percy growls, as he rolls under a sword swipe. He smells ozone, knowing that Clarisse's fourth electric spear, in almost as many years, is being put to good work. The Hephaestus cabin seemed to have finally gotten their own set of defenses together as a wave of greek fire flew over their heads into the monsters, the explosion killing every monster in a five foot radius of the impact. Percy was slammed into the ground from behind. A hellhound had been hit in the blowback of an explosion and landed on Percy. He was lucky nothing broke, even if his ribs felt like he'd been hit by a bowling ball. He reached over his shoulder and stabbed the monster. He took another look around.

         The hill was on fire and most of the monsters were gone. But the campers were tired. Percy groaned, ready to charge again when he heard the sound of a battle horn being blown behind him, and when he glanced up the hill, he sighed in relief. A dozen fresh Romans stood at the ready, Jason in the lead.

         "Need some help?" The former praetor called.

         "Naw. Give me five more minutes." Percy rolled his eyes. The Romans charged down the hill as the greek demigods dragged or carried the injured back towards the safety of camp's borders. Percy and Jason launched themselves at a small group of Laestrygonians together, dodging the flaming cannonballs, Jason going high, Percy going low. Like Percy predicted, five minutes later, half blood hill was quiet, nothing but monster dust and groaning demigods.

         Looking around at the carnage, Percy felt old. He'd fought for so long, and yet camp still wasn't at peace. He needed Annabeth. She would have known what to do, what to make of the attacks on camp. He wanted so badly to see her, to touch her, to hold her. He wanted to see her smile, listen to her heart beat. He needs Annabeth.

_And now he could._

         If Nico was right, if she really was alive, Percy was going to find her. Even if he has to walk through the deepest depths of Tartarus again. He turned to Jason.

         "Can you?" He asked, gesturing at the straggling greek demigods. His friend nodded.

         "I heard about the prophecy. Go. Just remember, both camps stand with you." Percy nodded tiredly before he let out a loud taxicab whistle. Blackjack swooped down next to him.

_'Yo Boss! Need a lift?'_  Percy mounted his old friend easily.

         "Yeah, I need you to take me to the city. And how many times do I need to ask you not to call me boss?"

_You got it Boss. Can we get donuts on the way?_  Percy let out a tired laugh.

         "Always with the donuts. We'll see buddy, we'll see."


	55. Chapter 55

_Natasha_

          She surveyed the empty cemetery. While the boys had shouted at each other about who was at fault, how they got out, how they needed to microchip the Baby Avenger; she'd gotten on her bike and waited for the kid to show. She had a hunch that was where the kid visited when he vanished. Whoever was buried there, was important to him. She didn't have to wait long before the rest of the team joined her.

          It was starting to get dark when Percy finally came slogging up the road to the cemetery. He tossed something that flashed gold in the streetlight and made a beeline for the middle of the graveyard.

          Natasha did a physical evaluation of the kid as she followed him to the headstone he was sitting next to. While disheveled, and his clothing torn and a little bloody, looked perfectly ok. A few scrapes that she could still see but over all he seemed healthy. Strangely he carried himself as though he'd just gotten beaten to hell and back. He was also covered in some kind of yellow powder, shedding it from his clothing with every step he took.

          Percy's shoulders tensed when she approached but other than that didn't acknowledge her presence. He was crouched in front of a beautiful white headstone, engraved with the name Annabeth Chase.

          The name Nico had mentioned when he'd staggered into the tower earlier. She had died almost two weeks ago.

          Natasha studied the dates and realized that the girl would have been Percy's age. She'd died far to young.

          "Who was she?" Natasha asked him gently.

          "Everything." Came the hollow answer.

          "How did she die?" Natasha regretted the question as soon as she asked it. Percy's fists curled tightly and he snarled something in a language she couldn't understand or even recognize.

          Just as suddenly his shoulders slumped. A muffled half sob broke out of his chest.

          "She went... missing." He said carefully, his voice quivering. "Presumed dead. Until today." His voice got hard as he stood up.

          "I'm leaving for a little while." He said turning around. The pain in the kid's eyes made her step back a little.

          "Percy, you shouldn't..." She trailed off when he took a menacing step forward.

          "She's alive." He said flatly. "I'm going to bring her home." Nat saw the desolation in his eyes. He didn't really believe it was possible. But he would die trying anyways. To her surprise, it was Tony, and not Steve, who stepped forward to wrap the kid in a tight hug.

          "We'll help you."


	56. Chapter 56

_Percy_

        Percy bolted awake. Annabeth had starred in his dreams again. She was spitting mad in this one, shrieking terrible things; terribly real things he had done. When he'd failed her at Westover hall, when she'd nearly died during the Battle of Manhattan, when he had let her fall into Tartarus. When he'd let her get captured. When he hadn't even looked for her after the war.

        Nico was standing in the doorway of his room, looking guilty. The Avengers were staring at Nico.

        "What in the name of Hades underpants are so many people doing in my room?" Percy groused. Thor looked like he was somewhere between laughter and panic, while everyone else looked frightened. 

        "What is he?" Tony asked bluntly. Percy looked at his younger cousin sharply.

        *" _Τι κάνατε Νίκο?"_  Nico looked at him shrugging.

        "I didn't know they watched you sleep." Percy smacked his forehead. He'd shadow travelled in front of mortals. Mortals who knew about Norse gods. It was as good as being clear sighted. There only so much the Mist could do. Percy sighed and looked to the god.

        "Thor, what do you think? Is it story time yet?" Percy asked Thor. The gods had already given him permission to tell; as long as he follows protocol. It was one of the few rules Percy did follow. The Avengers looked at the blonde god, looking minorly betrayed.

        "What is the kid saying Point Break?" Stark asked suspiciously.

        "Yes Son of the Sea. It is time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation
> 
> *What did you do Nico?


	57. Chapter 57

_Thor_

         The thunder god leaned back in his seat, munching on the delicious Midgard food, poptart. Perseus Jackson and Nico Di Angelo sat across from the Avengers exchanging looks, having a silent discussion. Some kind of agreement was reached when they both turned back to face the Avengers.

         "How's Magnus doing anyways?" Percy asked casually. Thor smiled.

         "The son of Frey is doing well in his quests." Thor informed Percy proudly. Percy nods sharply in approval. The son of the sea god had helped train the boy himself and had seemed quite invested in the einherji's continued well being.

         "Who is Magnus?" Steve asked curiously. Nico also looked curious. Percy waved his hand.

         "Later. Okay, umm what do you know about greek mythology?" Percy asked cautiously. Barton slammed his fist onto the table.

         "You boys are  _gods_?" He asked incredulously. A loud thunder clap sounded outside, Lord Zeus warning the mortal children of his brothers to have care with their words. Percy looked up at the ceiling muttering at his uncle, while Nico shook his head.

         "No. Percy turned that down. Again." The Avengers looked at him incredulously. Even Thor was surprised. He had never heard of any hero turning down godhood. 

         "Kid, you did WHAT?" Tony asked. 


	58. Chapter 58

_Percy_

 

       It was already going badly.

       "We should have asked Chiron for the orientation video." He muttered to Nico. His cousin rolled his eyes. Percy glanced out the gathering clouds level with the penthouse. If he didn't explain very very carefully his uncle would blast him. Again.

       Percy wasn't so sure he'd survive this time, prophecy or not. Tony was still sputtering over Nico's casual comment about Percy's brush with godhood.

       "I turned down immortality the second time. Godhood was only after the Titan War." Percy reminded his younger/older cousin. The Avengers looked even more incredulous. He waved his hand in the air.

       "But that's not relevant. Anyways the gods of Olympus are real, and still alive. Like Thor and his pantheon are the Norse gods. Kinda. Actually, he's supposed to stick to Boston, but that's not important. There a few others out there, but the most important are the Greek and Roman gods. You know how they ran around having affairs with mortals and having kids? That's also true. Only those affairs never stopped." Tony interrupted.

       "You mean the old heroes like Hercules, Achilles and Odysseus?"

       "You shouldn't be so careless, throwing out their names like that. Names have power." Nico warned.

       "Heracules is a jerk." Percy muttered. Thor snorted in agreement. Percy rolled his eyes. At one point Thor was just as bad as Heracles. Maybe less homicidal. But just as bad. 

       The Avengers just looked confused. Percy sympathized with them. Aliens and mutants were one thing, they were based in science and logic and could be rationalized. Magic and gods and monsters, they followed an entirely different set of rules. Tony spoke up.

       "You've _met_ _Hercules_? Isn't he dead?" Percy shook his head.

       "First, Hercules is Roman, it's actually Heracles. And second don't you know his story? He was granted godhood after he died. Now he's a homicidal minor godly pain in the ass, guarding the pillars in the Strait of Gibraltar. We met him back in, was it July?" Percy looked at his cousin for confirmation. Nico shrugged.

       "I wasn't there. I'd gotten captured, remember? I was with the idiot twins in Rome, in that horrible jar." Steve's jaw dropped, and even the master spies looked like they were struggling to keep their emotions under control. Percy glanced at Nico again before continuing, measuring his next words carefully.

        "Before we can tell you anymore, you all have to swear something. A binding oath to protect our secret." The Avengers all nodded. Nico, Percy and Thor all traded glances. Mortals had _no idea_ what it meant to take a binding oath the way the Greeks do.

       "You have to understand, to break an oath sworn on the River Styx... There are fates much worse than death. And you aren't the only one who pays." Nico warned. Thor picked up after them.

       "The river Styx takes her oaths very seriously. Gods get off easily, and the last time a god broke an oath sworn by the Styx, their very seats of power were threatened. Many of their children died in those wars. Think about this for a minute. _War_ was considered a _light_ punishment." Thor's expression was grave. The other Avengers looked a little more apprehensive, but Steve spoke up.

       "Ok, tell us how." Nico taught them the words, careful to leave an appropriate loophole so that the mortals aren't in danger unless they deliberately betray the demigods. Percy nodded as thunder rumbled overhead in reluctant approval.

       "So Nico and I are both the offspring of those gods. We're called demigods, or half bloods. Half mortal, half god...."


	59. Chapter 59

_Steve_

 

          Steve missed when life was simple. No aliens, no gods. Just him, his buddies and bunch of bad guys that he could just point and shoot at. Tony shook himself out of the reverie from their incredible lineage first.

          "So being the kid of a god is what made you so good at fighting?" He asked. Percy shook his head.

          "I got good at fighting out of survival. I trained and fought for my life; for years. Believe me, when you're forced to fight for your life everyday, you get pretty good at it." Bruce was next.

          "Let me get this straight. You and Nico are cousins. You're descended from _greek_ gods, not aliens but  _gods_ , and you kill monsters. And you have powers." Nico shrugged.

          "That about sums it up."

          "Can you show us?" Tony was like a little kid in a candy store. Percy shook his head.

          "Nico and I are both first and foremost swordsmen. Both of our powers are drawn directly from our godly parent's domain and are dangerous on a good day, and on a bad day either one of us could destroy the city, if not the state." Nico piped up from his seat, dark eyes hard.

          "We are not circus monkeys for your amusement Stark." His glower was enough to shut up the energetic inventor. Steve wondered if he could learn to do that. Would come in handy when Tony got irritating.

          "Who are your godly parents?" Clint wanted to know.

          "Son of Hades," Nico said then he pointed at Percy. 'Son of Poseidon." Natasha clarified for the mystified Stark.

          "God of Death and the Sea right?" Nico shook his head.

          "Close. My dad is the god of the Underworld. Thanatos _is_ death."

          "Oh." Natasha sat back. 'Death is a person?" She asked faintly. Percy shook his head.

          "No. Death is death. Thanatos is just the personification of it. He's not a bad dude actually." Clint blanched.

          "You met him?" Clint asked. Percy shrugged.

          "I rescued him last year. That's why I was in Alaska." Steve finally spoke up.

          "So your rap sheet is true then?" Percy shook his head.

          "No. Most of it is not my fault. Usually monsters blew stuff up. I just killed the monsters that caused the problems. Then mortal authorities blamed the damage on me." He said. Tony picked up the file, flicking through the list of accusations.

          "St. Louis Arch?"

          "Chimera. Oh and Echidna. I didn't kill them though." Percy frowned like he was annoyed.

          "Merryweather Prep?"

          "Laeistrygonian giants. Umm, think fireproof cannibalistic Canadians." Steve frowned.

          "Saratoga battlefield cannon and the school bus?" Percy snorted.

          "Ok, that one was me. But to be fair, how was I supposed to know that those cannons still worked? And Billy Thompson, the class bully shoved me into it, I wasn't trying to set it off." Nico waved his hand.

          "So you see, most of Percy's rap sheet is irrelevant. He was defending people, not hurting them." Percy looked at his cousin, an odd expression crossing his face. Steve rubbed the bridge of his nose. The demigods were a lot to take in. Then Nico gave his cousin a devious smile. Steve's chest tightened.

          "Well, except for the Mt. St. Helens thing." Nico grinned as Percy choked.

          "That was an accident!" The older teen protested. 'And the second time wasn't technically my fault!" Steve was confused. Thor looked amused. The other Avengers were shocked.

          "Percy." Tony asked slowly. 'Did you blow up a mountain?" Percy scowled at his cousin.

          "I didn't mean too! The telekhines were throwing lava at me and I panicked. I was like fourteen!" He protested. Steve's eyes widened as he caught on. The newest Avenger had caused a  _volcano to erupt_. He swallowed hard. He missed when it was just fighting Nazis. Tony was laughing. The billionaire did _not_ need any bright ideas; especially since Steve didn't plan on having a heart attack anytime soon. Although, now that he was learning how danger prone Percy's life was.... 

          "Kid that's awesome!" Nico snorted.

          "I know. Everyone thought he'd died. And just when camp had given up on finding a body, this idiot walks into his own funeral." Percy rolled his eyes at the memory. Steve felt slightly faint. They discussed near death experiences as easily as they might have talked about a funny movie. Like it was no big deal.

          "And the second time?" Banner prodded.

          "Well the first explosion kinda woke up the monster Typhon, and weakened his prison. Which was under the volcano. So when he escaped, it blew up again." Percy said weakly. He looked like a kid who had gotten caught sneaking out, instead of unleashing a mythical monster.

          "If a monster that has to be trapped under a  _mountain_  had gotten loose two years ago, how the hell did nobody notice?" Tony asked.

          "Language." Steve said distractedly. Percy and Nico tired exchanged glances.

          "It's complicated. You mortals did notice. Remember that insane storm system that tore up the American midwest last year?" Nico asked. Most of the Avengers nodded. Clint understood first, his jaw dropping.

          "That was  _one_  greek monster? That you _fought?_ " He asked horrified. The two demigods nodded, strangely synchronized. Steve felt sick.

          "Most of them aren't that bad. And the gods fought Typhon, not us." Percy rushed to reassure the increasingly pale adults. Thor snorted. Nico glared at the thunder god.

          "Well, and I came up with the plan to get rid of him, but overall we did very little work regarding Typhon. We were busy fighting other things." Percy added as an afterthought. Natasha hardly waited a moment before jumping in with rapid fire questions. 

          "But why did we see Typhon as a storm system? Why don't _we_ see the monsters? How hasn't SHIELD noticed them as a threat before? What other kinds of threats are out there that we don't even know about?" Natasha asked. Nico shrugged.

          "Mortals can't see through the Mist, which is this veil that separates our worlds, unless they're clear sighted or a demigod or god removes its' influence. It hides or distorts your view into something you can understand. Typhon becomes a storm system, cannibal giants with flaming cannonballs is actually a juvenile delinquent with an attitude problem blowing up the school gym, and a hellhound the size of a tank looks like a poodle. The Mist does our damage control. Besides mortals don't have the best eyesight anyways, you'd rather be fooled than accept the terrifying truth. It's why SHIELD never noticed the monsters, and they aren't a threat to you anyways. Most of the time monsters are handled by demigods. Monsters ignore mortals most of the time, you guys just aren't important enough to be attacked. Just like how most of our weapons won't harm mortals." 

          "Hey! We're plenty important!" Tony snapped. The two teens ignored him.

          "We tend to work in groups of three. It's the safest number. Anymore than that the chances of someone dying tend to reach one hundred percent probability. We try not to send more than three out at a time, unless we need an army. But by then shit's already hit the fan and the world is ending, so we don't worry about it so much." Percy said, as though they'd never been interrupted.

          "Army?" Steve asked. He'd noticed a few odd things about Percy, the way he moved, held himself. Even the way the kid talked had screamed soldier. But these guys were just kids, so Steve had just dismissed it as another one of the Baby Avenger's peculiarities. What could two teenagers know of war? Percy, Nico and Thor exchanged a few glances. Percy shook his head slightly, but after the other two stared him down he slouched in his seat.

          "Tell them." Thor prompted. Percy shook his head immediately. Nico looked at his cousin with disapproval.

          "Percy, we're going to have to tell them eventually. Especially with the newest prophecy..." Percy shook his head again.

          "We shouldn't involve them. They'll just get killed." Thor was on his feet, looking hard at Percy, who was staring at the table in front of them.

          "Telling them the past won't affect the prophecy. It's just gives them the right information to defend themselves." Nico insisted. Steve was curious now. Thor leaned forward.

          "There has been a new prophecy issued Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God. You must tell them." He growled, slamming his fist into the table. The table creaked, a small crack running through the wood. Percy snarled back at the god.

          "No! They shouldn't be involved, it's not safe for mortals. They'll die! I will not let mortals die for a godly cause!" Percy slapped his hand on the table. Tony snorted.

          "We defended the planet from an alien invasion with a team of _six_. We're not so easy to kill. Or scare off." Tony boasted. Nico stood up, the fifteen year old kid radiating dark power. The temperature of the room dropped several degrees. Steve subtly scooted away from the kid and Tony shut up very quickly. The younger demigod turned his harsh gaze onto Percy. 

          "Percy. We're just going to introduce ourselves." Nico said to his subdued and flushing cousin.

          "Names have power Death Boy." Percy snapped back. Nico replied with a smack to the back of his cousin's head. Percy scowled and slumped lower in his chair. Tony was watching open mouthed. Nico glared at him coldly. That glare was deadly. Steve absently thought even Fury would be afraid of such a glare.

          "Sit down mortal." Tony sat. Nico took a deep breath before continuing. As he spoke, his tone changed; grew deeper or richer. Steve could practically taste the power rolling off the kid. 

          "I am Nico Di' Angelo, Son of Hades, god of Wealth and the Underworld. Veteran of the Second Olympian War, the Second Demigod Civil War and the Second Gigantomachy. The Ghost King. Prince of the Underworld and Savior of Olympus." Then the kid gave each of the Avenger's a dead eyed stare. Steve decided that he was really glad Nico was one of the good guys.

          "You have no idea what you're up against and if you want to live through this next mythological cluster-" Percy cleared his throat and Nico glared at his cousin. The he turned back to face the Avengers.

          "I suggest you trust Percy; the greatest demigod of the age." Nico and Thor both turned and glared at Percy. Finally the kid sighed and stood up. He looked up at the rumbling ceiling.

          "Yeah, yeah. I'll do it Uncle." Percy took a deep breath then looked away from everyone in the room, focused on some faraway point outside. As he spoke, even as his also changed to bring a wellspring of power, some thing about Percy's recitation was more flat. More bitter. 

          "I am Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon; Lord of the Sea, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of horses. Former Praetor of the Twelfth legion of Rome. General of the Greek demigods. Veteran of the Second Olympian war, Second Gigantomachy and the Second Demigod Civil war. The Lightning Bringer. Former Bearer of the Curse of Achilles. Prophecy child. Bearer of the Twelfth Legion's Standard. Eye of Nekhbet. Conqueror of Gaea. Destroyer of Giants. Slayer of Titans. Hero and Champion of Olympus."

The room was silent at the end of the recitation. Tony let out a low whistle. Nico glanced over at his cousin.

"You know you're supposed to list it all, right?" Percy snorted. The Avengers exchanged startled glances. All that and he skipped some of it?

"It's a mouthful Nico. If I listed my every accomplishment we'd be here all night. Yours is the same way little cousin. Between the two of us I think we've probably fought, killed or pissed off just about every monster or deity in four pantheons." Steve's jaw dropped. The kid had fought in three wars in his eighteen years of life. No wonder the kid woke everyone screaming. Percy stood up abruptly.

"If you're going to tell them the rest, I don't need to hear it." The teen left the room. Everyone was quiet.

"Well that was an... impressive resume...." Steve muttered. He missed when all he had to do was fight Nazis.


	60. Chapter 60

_Bruce_

 

          He leaned forward and clasped his hands together in front of him. Nico and Thor exchanged glances again.

          "Son of Hades, you have been there for much of Perseus's tale. You should have the honor of becoming our bard." Thor gestured at the kid. Bruce didn't think he was more than fifteen. Nico nodded.

          "Look, being a demigod is hard. Our parents are powerful and distant and busy. They're also fickle and prone to making poor choices." Thunder rumbled loudly. Everyone looked at Thor.

          "Thor cut it out." Tasha reprimanded. The god shook his head. Nico looked at the ceiling.

          "You know it's true." Bruce was confused until Thor mouthed Zeus at him. Ah, different god then. The scientist was unslettled by the idea that an honest to God,  _god_ was now a reasonable explanation for the things that happened around him now. 

          "As demigods, being part of both the mortal world and Olympus we are in the unique position of being able to interfere with godly affairs. Essentially we're the clean up crew." Steve looked horrified

          "Your parents have you, just to clean up their messes?" Nico shook his head.

          "No. In that sense the myths got it right. The gods just kinda run around falling in love, and end up with powerful offspring. But the consequence of that poor behavior is our duty. You can't punish a god. But you can hurt their children. About 80 years ago now, the three most powerful gods; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were told about a prophecy. About one of their children. It foretold the downfall of Olympus. This prophecy came right after WWII, which was basically grudge match between the children of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and children of Hades on the other. Their children are too dangerous, are too powerful. So they swore an oath, that the three elder gods, or the big three, wouldn't have anymore half blooded children. They swore it on the River Styx, the most serious promise anyone can make." Steve looked angry. The captain had fought in a war caused by the bickering of a bunch of overpowered demigods. Bruce felt a pang of pity. Then he realized something.

          "But you and Percy are both children of those gods." Bruce said quietly. Nico nodded.

          "Technically Percy is illegal. My father is the only one who didn't break the oath. I was born in 1932. After the war ended and the pact was made, my sister and I were hidden away in this place called the Lotus Hotel and Casino; freezing us in time. We thought it was only weeks, when really it had been years. Both Zeus and Poseidon broke their oaths. The result being Percy and two demigod children of Zeus/Jupiter. I'll skip over them for now." Steve had brightened when he heard that Nico and him were from the same time period.

          "Anyways, long story short, Percy was the child of the prophecy. He saved Olympus and fought the titan Kronos. That was two years ago tomorrow. Our side lost over forty percent of our army, and hundreds of our allies were killed." Bruce felt sick. Two years ago would have made Percy about sixteen. And forty percent? Just how many people had died? Then another horrifying thought occurred to him.

          "Who was your army made up of Nico?"  Bruce prayed he was wrong.

          "Other half bloods, just like us. And some of our allies; the few we had left." The kid answered. "And how old are they?" Bruce forced out. Nico looked at him with pity. Bruce felt his lunch start to rise in his throat. The other Avengers also looked uneasy.

          "Percy is one of the oldest living greek demigods. My cousin has outlived the average life expectancy for our kind by several years now." Nico said gently. Every face paled. Nico took a deep breath. He looked around the table. Bruce didn't want to hear him go on anymore.

          "Look, like I said, being a demigod is hard. Especially in today's world. We're secrets living dangerous lives. We attract monsters constantly because of our godly scent. Many die before they reach the age of twelve. Most of them don't even have a chance to learn who and what they really are. Those that do go to a safe place to train, and once they've trained are sent on quests for the gods or for other demigods." Bruce didn't like the look on Nico's face, it was uncomfortably similar to the one Bruce used to deliver bad news to his patients and their families. Thor nudged Nico.

          "Speak of this past year young hero." The god looked grave.

 _'There's more!'_ Bruce felt sick. Nico sighed.

          "This last year, it happened again. Another prophecy was foretold. This one was about the rise of Gaea and her younger set of progeny. The giants. A few months after our oracle spoke the newest prophecy, Percy went missing. Stolen from us by Hera in a risky gamble to save us all. We were ridiculously lucky we succeeded. We just defeated Gaea and her armies about two weeks ago. We're still fighting what's left of her forces. The final body count isn't even in yet. Our injured are still being treated, and some are still dying. " Clint was gripping the table tightly. Bruce felt the Other Guy start to burble forward. He ruthlessly pushes him back as Nico finished.

          "In the final battle Percy's girlfriend Annabeth, and one of his friends from the quest to Greece sacrificed themselves so that Percy and the others could kill Gaea. He hasn't forgiven himself yet." The kid stood up. He waved at Thor.

          "He can fill in the details. I don't want to discuss the war anymore." Nico followed his cousin out the door. The Avengers turned to the Norse god of thunder.

          "Please tell me my imagination is scarier than the truth." Natasha said quietly. Thor solemnly shook his head. Bruce blanched.


	61. Chapter 61

_Tony_

He sat back in his chair after Thor finished telling the tales of Percy Jackson. The kid had done a lot. Been through a lot. It explained the scarring and the nightmares and the mistrust. It explained a lot about the kid.

But something was still missing.

"So why now?" Tony finally asked. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"Why tell us now? We all knew the kid was hiding something but we wouldn't have been able to guess  _this_  without being explicitly told. So why tell us now?" Tony elaborated. Nico spoke up from behind Stark. He jumped, not having realized the son of Hades had come back into the room.

"Because Percy is in the center of another prophecy. And Annabeth might be alive. He's going to need as many allies as he can get." The Avengers barely needed to glance at each other before they were in agreement.

"What do we do?"   
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a hot sec since I updated this story. I just moved abroad and my life is insane. Hopefully in a few weeks I can start to update regularly again. in the mean time I probably won't update until around October.


	62. Chapter 62

_Annabeth_

 

    She woke up. The walls of her prison hadn't changed. She was still in the terrible darkness. Sweat dripped from her body, the oppressive heat in her prison never ending. Annabeth was barely able to stop herself from screaming in frustration.

    She'd dreamed of her and Percy again, walking on the beach. To open her eyes to her dark prison was heartbreaking. Her lower back was cramping painfully from being chained against the wall for too long. She tried to shift as quietly as she could, but it was useless. The celestial bronze chains clanked loudly as soon as she moved.

    Heavy breathing and ground rattling stomps approached her prison. Annabeth prayed to her mother, heart pounding in her chest. 

     _'Please, let her walk past. Mother, please send someone for me. Please Mother; a sign, advice, death, anything. Mom!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I'm back! I'll upload as often as I can, but again; living a new country, so I can't promise I'll be very consistent for a while.


	63. Chapter 63

_Percy_

          He woke up to a stranger in his room. He kept his breathing even and slow and when the person shifted closer to him, his arm shot out. Thalia let out a surprised shout before she shocked him while boxing his ears. Percy's eyes snapped open as he threw his entire body into shoving his cousin away. Thalia landed on the floor with an _oomph_. He yelled as he dove on top of her, a smile stretching across his face as he got in a couple of body blows before getting thrown off his cousin. Thalia snarled at him.

          "That's it Kelp Head, you're in for it now!" Percy laughed, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. They tumbled around his large room, knocking into walls, crashing into furniture as they wrestled with each other. Thalia managed to pull out her hunting knives so Percy dove for Riptide, sitting on his bedside table. Their blades crashed against each other when the door to his room was kicked in, all the Avengers partially suited up and in a panic. Nico stood behind them laughing at his cousins.

          "Get away from him!" That was Bruce.

          "How'd you get in?" That one was Tony

          "Who do you work for?" Steve shouted, Percy mentally ticked off each team member. 

          "Percy, DUCK!" The last comment was Clint as he loosed an arrow at Thalia. The two demigods exchanged glances before Thalia reached around her cousin and plucked the arrow from the air. Bringing it closer to her face she expertly inspected the shaft and the fletching, testing the bullet point and picking absentmindedly at the nock.

          "This is nice, who makes these for you?" She asked curiously to the surprised Avengers. She handed the arrow to Percy then smacked him upside the head.

          "Ow! What was that for?" Percy whined as he tried to hit her back. Thalia just laughed, dancing out of reach.

          "That's for being sloppy. You should have woken up before I was close enough to touch you." Thalia retorted. Percy groaned. Why did he decide to be friends with the other Big Three kids again? Percy's train of thought was interrupted as he remembered his dream from the night before. He turned to Thalia.

          "I need to speak with Chiron and Rachel right away. I had a dream." The Avengers looked more confused. Percy ignored them as Thalia's face grew serious.

          "About what Kelp Head?" She asked quietly. Percy's eyes grew dark and stormy.

          "Annabeth. Nico was right. She's alive."


	64. Chapter 64

_Clint_

He liked the newest addition to Percy's family. Natasha had mentioned meeting a few cousins, but this girl was something else. She was like Natasha, but liked archery instead of guns and had emotions everyone else could read.

So maybe not so much like Natasha.

Clint didn't even mind that she was better than him. After all she was the lieutenant of the Hunt, and Artemis and her brother were the patron deities for archery. Of course she was going to be better than him.

Both Thalia and Nico were technically older than Percy; but he was still their leader. No matter how much the three of them seemed to fight and bicker, he could see the same type of love he saw when his own children fought. Clint had the feeling these kids would die for each other, and it gave him chest pains to think that they had in been in situations were they nearly did. Especially Thalia. She actually _did_ die, even if she got turned into a tree. Clint didn't really understand how that worked but he was glad she was fine now.

He winced as Thalia slammed Percy into the floor as the Avengers watched the demigods spar. The three teenagers moved quickly, ducking, weaving and fighting together seamlessly. They were practically a blur of deadly movement. Nico whipped his sword towards Percy's head when Baby Avenger kicked out and somehow knocked both cousins to the floor, his own blade levelled at their necks. Clint vaguely wondered where he had been keeping it, as none of the Avengers had seen it around before.

"Admit it Pinecone Face, I'm the best." Percy joked, his face brighter than Clint had seen it in the week he'd been living in the tower. Thalia scowled from the floor as she allowed herself to be hauled to her feet. She smacked her cousin and the smell of ozone permeated the air. Percy yelped and his hair stood on end. Nico just sighed, shaking his head. Percy glanced at the clock and as a unit the three demigods started for the door.

"Where are you three going?" Steve asked. Nico glanced over his shoulder.

"To Percy's mom's apartment. It's cake time." Everyone was confused. Thalia opened her mouth when Percy jumped in.

"Today is the anniversary of the end of the Second Olympian War. And it was..." He swallowed hard, 'mine and Wise Girl's anniversary." He added softly. Nico frowned at his cousin.

"It's also your birthday." He reminded him. Percy smacked his cousin and dashed out the door.

"Wait,  _today_  is his birthday?" Tony yelped. Thalia nodded as she headed out the door.

"As of today Kelp Head is a legal adult. So we're going to see a few people. Sally makes the best cake and the party on Olympus is going to be  _sick_." Nico paused and looked at his cousin.

"You know being the two time savior of Olympus has some serious perks. Nobody else gets birthday parties with the gods." Thalia rolled her eyes, dragging the boys to the elevator.

"You guys can do something for him later. We have plans." Thalia tossed over her shoulder. And on that note the three teens vanished.

"Olympus?" Banner questioned. Thor looked like a kicked puppy.

"Their parties are always the best." He muttered, disappointed.


	65. Chapter 65

_Percy_

          It was late. Nico and Thalia had both left. Nico to camp and Thalia to join the hunters. Both promised to start tracking down leads on Annabeth. 

         Percy stood in the graveyard alone, holding a slice of blue birthday cake. He stared at her headstone. She was alive, he knew that, but he couldn't  _not_ visit her on their anniversary. And this  _horrible_  grave marker was as close as he could get to her for the moment.

         Percy brushed some gravel away as he set the cake down. Someone had already cleared away the cookies he'd left last time. He strongly suspected it was Hestia. The goddess of the hearth had taken a special interest in him after the wars, and not in the  _get a hero killed_  kind of way. But in the way a sweet mortal aunt might.

        "I know you aren't gone Wise Girl. I swear I'll find you. Never again remember? When I find you the first thing we're going to do is move to New Rome. Terminus will blast any meddling gods and the legion will kill the monsters. You'll study architecture, maybe help design the temples and monuments Jason's been working on. I'll study the ocean or surfing or something; just like I told you on the Argo II. We'll have a house and kids and when we grow old and smell like mothballs, we can sit on the porch watching our legacies run around the yard. And after that, I'll see you in Elysian. I promise Wise Girl, I swear it. I'm going to find you. We  _won't_  be another greek tragedy." He sat down leaning against the headstone. He noticed some shadows shift.

        Nico was watching. So were the Avengers. He didn't really care. He also didn't care that he was about to do something incredibly stupid. Something that Annabeth would probably kill him for. He did it anyways.

        "I'm going to find you Wise Girl. And I swear on the River Styx whoever took you is going to pay. One way or another."

        The sky rumbled. 


	66. Chapter 66

_Steve_

The kid reminded him a lot like himself when he first left the SHIELD facility after being defrosted.

Lost, alone, shattered.

The kid had been through a lot, more war than even Steve; the only Avenger who had ever fought in an actual war. All of the Avengers had their share of demons; had fought in a lot of battles. But war was a different type of beast all together. One that Steve not only knew, but  _saw,_  that Percy Jackson was intimately acquainted with. He felt a flush of shame.

The Avengers had done this. They tore this kid away from his friends, from his life, only to throw him headfirst back into some of his most painful memories as they ask him to guide them back into an unfamiliar battleground. All on his eighteenth birthday. Jesus, the Baby Avenger was barely an adult, and he came to visit fallen comrades. They had all watched him brush his hands over different grave markers, pausing to say something at over a dozen different headstones and memorial markers before stopping at his final destination. It was heartbreaking.

He looked over and knew Clint felt the same way. They'd become Avengers to _protect_ the world. And it turns out that they were woefully under qualified to do so from some of it's most dangerous threats. Instead that burden had fallen on children.  _Children._  He shook his head before quietly walking out of the cemetery to wait by the car. He wasn't going to intrude on the kid's privacy any longer.


	67. Chapter 67

_Natasha_

         Percy looked heartbroken. She'd never seen it written so plainly on someone's face before. Once she had said that love was for children. Percy was a child, but the way he looked at this girl's tombstone, the way he looked when she came up; well, she could almost believe that it might be for more than just childhood dreams. 

         Steve had walked away but she kept watching as tears rolled down his cheeks. He seemed to be promising the girl something. Bruce stood next to her, his shoulder just brushing hers. She sighed quietly as the sky rumbled above them. Clint shook his head as the kid stood up slowly.

         Natasha knew that the kid had said the girl, Annabeth, was alive. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to let the kid believe it. Hope could be a cruel master. It would drive Percy onwards, but if he was wrong; well the part of Natasha that was the Black Widow knew she didn't want to be in the same state as Percy Jackson if that happened. Maybe not even in the same side of the country, if she takes the story about Mt. St. Helens into account.  

         The Baby Avenger walked closer to them all. His face was blank, the only sign of his sorrow the wet tear tracks that lined his tired face. She gave him a small smile and held her hand out to the youngest member of their team. He took it, allowing himself to be absorbed into the team as Clint slung an arm around the taller teen and Tony ruffled his hair. Steve had turned the car on, heating the interior. Bruce squeezed his hand before presenting the kid with a cake (thanks to a tip from Nico was blue) and in messy white print read;  _Happy Birthday Baby Avenger!_

         Percy cracked a small smile, ignoring Tony's _loud_  worrying about the frosting ruining his car.

         "Thank you." He said. Then turned and promptly smeared a palmful of blue frosting onto Tony's face. There was a momentary pause of shock. Then Tony shoved Percy face first into the cake. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who has been so patient with me and this story; I know it's been very slow lately but I have had some bad news come in recently and it been really hard to write at all. I'll try to update more often, promise promise. 
> 
> Remember, I love your commentary, it fuels me! 


	68. Chapter 68

_Tony_

          It was the day after the frosting disaster in Tony's car and the Baby Avenger was nowhere to be found. Percy Jackson had vanished from the tower. Tony had checked and double checked every security feed in the building, had JARVIS run every possible program to figure out where and when he had left; and if it was of his own volition. Nothing. 

          "Where is he!" Natasha was, surprisingly, the most panicked. Tony would have never guessed that cold assassin would have developed a soft spot for the newest member of their team so quickly. Bruce was pacing in his special room, clenching and unclenching his fists as threads of green appeared and disappeared all over his skin. Clint was desperately trying to convince Thor to go to Olympus to ask the Greek gods and getting nowhere.

          "You have too! What if he is in danger!" The Hawk yelled.

          "I cannot. It goes against the ancient laws. To break such a thing-" the asgardian shuddered. He looked thoughtful for a moment before growing serious. "Besides, to be a child of Olympus, especially the son of the sea god means he is always in danger. Percy will contact us if he is in need of assistance." Tony looked up from his computer where he was currently hacking every camera in the state of New York. He growled at the Norse god.

          "He doesn't even have a phone.  _How the hell will he contact us_?" It was a show of how worried everyone was that Steve didn't get on Tony's ass about his language.

          "Stark! Language."

Never mind.

          The elevator doors dinged and swung open as Tony turned to glare at the first Avenger.

          "Steve now is not the time to...." Tony started to snarl. He cut himself off abruptly when he saw a pale but bemused looking Percy stumble out of the elevator, closely followed by his scary cousin Nico. The older teen looked around the panicked chaos of the team in crisis, his eyebrows rising on his face. 

          "Hey guys, whats up?" 


	69. Chapter 69

_Percy_

         To an outsider; it might have seemed as though he'd died and then been resurrected with the way everyone was carrying on. All Percy had done was go to camp for a couple hours in order to tell Chiron that he was working on the prophecy, and to get some advice from the old centaur. When he had returned he was more coddled, worried over and lectured than the time he and Annabeth had called Will to tell him that they had found him a new sibling. 

         Will hadn't heard the whole message and thought he'd heard Annabeth say something about babies and blood. He had  _creatively_  misinterpreted an already garbled message into thinking Annabeth and Percy had somehow had children in secret. Needless to say when they'd limped into camp chased by a pack of hellhounds with twin daughters of Apollo in tow, Will was livid. Percy shuddered at the memory.

         Natasha was transitioning between lecturing and checking him over for injuries while Clint was still going on about responsibility and being careful and telling people before leaving and Tony looked ready to cry with relief. Thor was the only one who looked remotely normal and even he was casting Percy irritated glares.

         "... no note! How were we supposed to know- Percy Jackson! Are you even listening to a word any of us are saying?" Natasha asked exasperated. Percy shook his head no. Nico smiled and shook his head at Percy. He scowled back at his younger (older?) cousin.

         "If I was your mother I'd ground you!" Tony interrupted Natasha.

         "Screw that! Kid, you  _are_  grounded until... until... until you're thirty! Maybe longer!" Tony howled, even as the only female avenger talked over the billionaire. Steve talked over her as he snapped at Tony about using appropriate language. 

         "Stark!" 

         "If you ever disappear like that again, I swear I'll kill you myself!" Natasha finished. Nico laughed derisively.

         "If you want to kill Percy, get in line. I'm like number 10, but I'm working my way up." Percy snorted and playfully glared at his cousin. The Avengers flinched, even though he wasn't looking at them.

         "Good luck getting past Thalia. And she's got nothing on Wise....." Percy suddenly trailed off. Nico rolled his eyes before patting his cousin on the shoulder gently.

         "We're going to find her. Then you two are going to be sickeningly happy, move to New Rome, go to college, get married and have lots of seaweed brained, wise kid legacies. Promise." Percy nodded stiffly before forcibly relaxing his posture. He turned back to the Avengers who were all still in various stages of calming down. 

         "Look. I'm a demigod, I disappear a lot. It's just part of my life. You'll get used to it. The only time you have to worry is if a different demigod comes and asks where I am. Otherwise I'm probably fine." He stated matter of factly. Clint squints at Percy disapprovingly.

         "And what does your mom think of all this? We told her we would keep you safe; it's why she agreed to sign the papers Fury gave her." Percy snorted.

         "Dude, I vanish on her all the time. I just do what I can to keep her updated. Last year I was kidnapped and disappeared for like nine months. When I got home she was more pissed about the Roman brand I'd gotten than the disappearing act. Vanishing for a few weeks wouldn't even phase her, let alone a couple hours." Percy softened his expression as best he could. The adults in the room looked horrified. He waved his hand, trying to soften the reality of demigod life for the mortals. Nico just popped some kind of candy into his mouth. 

         "Look, Nico and I warned you; demigod's don't have easy lives. If you can't handle it, I'll walk out of this tower right now. But if you can deal, then I think I have a lead on Annabeth." 


	70. Chapter 70

_Clint_

          "Suit up."

          It was all that needed to be said. Everyone charged away, ready to do something, _anything_. They didn't even question Percy, which was less odd than it should have been. The kid just gave off an aura of quiet authority, and everyone around him just gravitated to his leadership. He gave them even fewer details than Fury ever did and they trusted him more than they ever had the SHIELD director.

          A few minutes later they were outside the cemetery Percy spent so much time in. He tossed a large gold coin into the pot before saying something in another language. It sounded a bit like Greek, but it wasn't quite right. The phrasing was older.

_*"Η θεά μου δίνει τη μετάβαση στην κοιλάδα των Ηρώων."_

          Thor let out a soft gasp as he stepped through, looking with wonder at the plain cemetery. Clint glanced around at the rest of the Avengers; they all looked just as confused as he was.

          "I have never been granted entry here before. Thank you young hero for allowing me such an honor." Percy nodded distractedly.

          "Ok I think I have the prophecy mostly figured out. I wish Annabeth were here; she'd know. It's not even that complicated this time." Percy muttered. Tony raised his hand timidly.

          "I don't know what you two god-like people are seeing but all I see is grass and headstones." Thor looked mystified for a moment before understanding crossed his features.

          "The Mist conceals your vision. Let me-" Thor reached out when Percy smacked his hands away.

          "No. You can't. Thor,  _we_  won't find it. It has to be them. They can't be clear sighted. Not yet. That's why I didn't invite them." Steve glared at the teenager.

          "We need all the information. What are we supposed to be looking for?" Percy shook his head, running his hand through his already messy hair. He was the only one not suited up. He had even refused the bulletproof vest Natasha had tried to get him to wear. Instead, Percy was in his standard orange T-shirt and jeans, a ballpoint pen flipping through his fingers easily.

          "I'm not sure. All I have is the prophecy which goes like this; _First came the sacrifice of warriors who once made this land their home, whom rest in the eternal peace of Elysian has yet to come, great tombs of heroes with polished marble hiding an earthen prison, only mortal eyes can find._ That's the first of three parts. But the rest is currently irrelevant." Percy turned in a circle. Clint was confused. How did any of that relate to a tiny cemetery on the Upper East side of Manhattan?

          "Obviously the first line is about the Giant war, and those who died fighting in it. Then the second line has to be about Annabeth. She is the only soul unaccounted for. Nico checked. Twice. The third line is about this place! The Valley of Heroes. The last line is about mortals; only you guys can find her. Or the entrance. I don't know." The son of Poseidon kicked the iron gate in frustration. Thor shot everyone an  _I'll-explain-when-we're-not-around-a-grief-stricken-volatile-demigod-of-the-sea_  look. Clint nodded back, mildly impressed with the clarity of Thor's unspoken message.

          "Then we'll spread out and start looking for an entrance. You said an earthen prison right? So we look for something that will lead us underground." Steve soothed. He waved everyone in different directions, and everyone moved out immediately.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> *Goddess grant me passage to the Valley of Heroes


	71. Chapter 71

_Thor_

          As far as prophecies went, this one was fairly straight forward. Find the living, presumed dead, hero under the valley of heroes and free her from an earthen prison only a mortal could find. Thor just followed Tony as they examined every tombstone.

          "Wait. What were those lines again?" Banner asked suddenly from two rows over. Steve looked to Percy.

          "First came the sacrifice of warriors who once made this land their home, Whom rest in the eternal peace of Elysian has yet to come, Great tombs of heroes with polished marble hiding an earthen prison, Only mortal eyes can find." Percy recited quickly, not looking up from the grave he was examining, even though the prophecy clearly said mortal eyes. Banner muttered under his breath for a few minutes.

          "It says great tombs of heroes with polished marble. Which of these belong to heroes? And of those which are marble?" He asked suddenly. Percy looked around the graveyard and began to point at several.

          "They all belong to heroes. But.... those, over in that row; those belong to the ones who died fighting Gaea." Percy pointed out at least three dozen graves. "Phoebe, she was a huntress and a hero; don't know if she counts she wasn't a demigod, neither was Kinzi, she was an Amazon but check anyways. Bob and Damsen both got honorary markers; but they aren't tombstones so they don't count. Gwen has one but she came back to life so don't check hers. Check Leo's. We aren't sure if he's dead, so it could be under his...." Percy kept naming people, adding random details about them. He clearly took many of these deaths hard; and knew many of the deceased or at least made a point to learn about them after they had died. Thor recognized a name here and there as the Avengers looked. Thor felt the ache in his chest, an emotion that mortals called guilt filling him.

          Even though the two most recent divine disasters were not Norse, the way preventing Ragnarok is for young Magnus, he felt as though he should have stepped up. His role in Midgard as an Avenger has somewhat circumvented some of the laws in place that prevent godly meddling. Plus his Midgardian form was hardly his true self. He retained a slight leaning to mortality, as did Loki, in order to meddle in the lower realms. He chooses to return to his godly form rarely now, it has simply become more entertaining to be an Avenger rather than a god in Asgard. 

          He regrets more than ever the godly inability to interfere until it is too late. So many of the tombstones being pointed out belonged to demigods, meaning they belonged to children. He sighed, looking at one of the oldest remaining demigods alive. Eighteen and one of the eldest. It was a terrible shame on the gods. But there were laws even immortals were bound to.

          "Thor. Thor. Thor!" Tony was waving a hand in front of the god's face.

          "Yes?" He asked as he was pulled from his thoughts.

          "Steve found it."


	72. Chapter 72

_Percy_

 

          He was furious with himself. How could he have never noticed the Mark of Athena symbol carved into the marble? How could he have never noticed that by pressing on the Mark, it triggered a mechanism so that the whole gods be damned headstone moves out of the way to reveal a set of stairs underground? The thing  _glowed_  for Zeus's sake! Steve noticed it from clear across the row! Percy was more than just angry with himself. He was furious. How could he have never realized that Annabeth wasn't dead in the first place? He had known even after she fell over the cliff when they were just kids! 

          Percy was furious with himself. He waited, every muscle in his body tense as the rest of the Avengers gathered.

          "We go in, find Annabeth, and get out. If we run into any monsters let me or Thor kill them. You won't be able to without godly metal and we don't have time to get you any. Protect Annabeth, that's your primary goal." Percy gave each of them hard looks before relaxing his glare. 

          "Don't die. You can't help anyone if you're dead." Percy watched each of his new friends nod before he turned and charged down the stairs. 


	73. Chapter 73

_Steve_

         He may be a soldier, used to following orders, but following the Baby Avenger didn't sit right with Captain America. He was used to  _leading_  his men into battle, not following them. But he was out of his depth and he knew it, so he kept his mouth shut and crept down the strange earthen stairs behind Percy as the Avengers and Nico moved deeper underground. The only person who looked even remotely comfortable with the concept was Nico. Percy was muttering something about a girl named Hazel and Nico was warning his cousin about how angry Thalia was going to be when she learned that they went charging off to save Annabeth without her.

         The steps kept going and going, and the deeper they went, the darker and hotter the tunnel they travelled through got. Over time, one wall dropped away completely, and they were walking down a path in a cavernous room. The wide trail wound down the sides towards a sinister  _something._  The air grew strangely humid and Steve felt as though something was watching him. Something was wrong. Percy held up his hand, halting the progression of their group. A heavy stomping noise could be heard below them, along with a strange hissing, spitting sound. Percy paled.

         "Kampè." He whispered. Nico looked like he was going to be sick.

         "We're so screwed." The young boy muttered back. Percy nodded. Tony looked frustrated.

         "Who is Kampè?" He asked, barely keeping his voice to a whisper. Steve suppressed the urge to smack the billionaire. Only reason he didn't was because Natasha already beat him to it. And really, for a genius, the man couldn't really afford to lose or damage anymore brain cells. 

         "Kampè is the jailer. Worked for Kronos during the reign of the Titans in the Third Age, she tortured the inhabitants of Tartarus a long time ago. Then Zeus came along to free the cyclopes and the hekatonkheires as allies during the first Titan War and killed her with the master bolt when he broke them out. Then during the Second Olympian War the last of the hekatonkheires, Briareos, killed her by burying her under a small mountain during the Battle of the Labyrinth two years ago." Tony gulped at Nico's serious expression. Bruce looked up, a wry expression on his usually tired face.

         "I guess it's a good thing the  _Other Guy_  is on our side huh?" Percy smirked a little, even if the expression was still tinged with worry.

         "Yeah, it's a very good thing." 


	74. Chapter 74

_Annabeth_

          She held her breath, hoping the monstrous stomping would move past her earthen prison cell. She'd dreamed for the first time since she was captured. Not a nightmare of battle, not a terrifying what if about Percy, not a flashback to the hell hole that was Tartarus, not even a tantalizing hallucination of something better. But an honest to Hypnos _dream_. Her mother had whispered to her, sent her a vision. 

_Percy was coming for her._

          Just like he had always promised. Annabeth held her breath, refusing to allow a relieved sob past her lips. She just needed to survive long enough for him to find her. And Annabeth knew how to survive, she'd been doing it her whole life. She tilted her head back against the floor of her cell, shivering slightly. She couldn't repress the wild and slightly manic grin that crossed her face, and she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. 

_By the gods she was going to be free._


	75. Chapter 75

_Percy_

          The tunnel reminded him, rather unfortunately, of the sewers the Kekrops had lead them through under Athens. It was also like a watered down, less poisonous version of Tartarus. The tunnel had taken on the burning, hazy quality he remembered falling through right before they had fallen into the River Cocytus. Percy ruthlessly shoved the memories back, forcing himself to stay focused on Annabeth. He tuned out Nico muttering information on Kampe to the clueless, and nearly defenseless, Avengers. Percy cursed his own stupidity. In his recklessness he brought unarmed, unprepared  _mortals_  into a fight against one of the most terrifying and formidable monsters of his world. But there was no way he would turn back, no way he could. Annabeth was waiting for them at the other end of this tunnel and nothing was going to stop him from getting her out of the hell he'd left her in since the end of the Giant War. He turned around to face the others, his hand drawing Riptide out of his pocket, and flicking off the pen cap. He ignored the wide-eyed wonder of the Avengers seeing his sword transform. 

          "Nico and I will worry about Kampe. Whatever you do, DO NOT interfere. You'll just get yourself or one of us killed. Focus on rescue, and move quickly." He ordered. Steve looked like he was going to argue but Percy was already moving ahead.

_By the gods, Annabeth was coming home._


	76. Chapter 76

_Natasha_

          This was a terrible idea. They had no idea what they were charging into, no one but Nico and Percy were armed with anything effective against monsters and they didn't know where they were going. The air grew hotter and hotter as they crept down the tunnels. Percy had pulled out a glowing bronze sword out of nowhere, and he was using it to light the way.

          "We're near the borders of Tartarus. That's why I couldn't feel her after the battle. She was too close to the Underworld." Nico muttered. Percy and Nico both seemed unusually tense, unlike when she'd seen them fight each other. While sparring they seemed relaxed, fierce but never afraid. Percy hadn't been afraid when he'd fought them the first time they'd tried to capture him either. This place; Tartarus, was something else. 

          She walked behind them silently, taking in the details of the situation.

          They were walking through a huge underground cavern, lit with strange torches filled with green fire every few yards. They were constantly walking on a downhill slant, winding around the outside rim of the cavern. She peeked over the edge, the ground five stories below them, and she caught a glimpse of _something_. She couldn't tell what it was though. The edges of the huge creature was blurred and the rest of it hidden in the shadows.  Both demigods had paled as the sight of the monster, Kampê, but neither back down, moving with the same purpose they had before. Nico motioned for them to stop, even as Percy scouted forward. The younger (older?) boy turned to face them, dark eyes glittering.

          "Ok, I'm going remove the Mist from your eyes so you can see the monsters. Remember, you cannot interfere. You aren't armed for this, and they _will_ kill you if you try. Just help us rescue Annabeth and get out. Even clear sighted, you're mortals, so with Percy and I here they should ignore you. That will true in real life too." Nico whispered. Natasha nodded, and so did the other Avengers. Tony even looked a bit excited by the idea that he would get to see what the world really looked like. Steve seemed uncomfortable with leaving the two teens to do all the fighting. Nico snapped his fingers, the sound echoing slightly.

          *" _κοίτα και δες._ " He breathed. A ripple of  _something_  moved outwards from each of the Avengers, and she felt like someone had cleared cobwebs from her eyes. The cavern looked mostly the same, but was now tinted a slightly red color and the air tasted a little more acidic. She peeked over the edge of the trail again.

          This time Kampê's body was thrown into grotesquely clear relief. Kampê was huge, a woman's body poorly grafted to a black dragon, white stripes running down her back. Her skin was scaly, as though the dragon was trying to take over. The point where the two halves met, bubbled and melted like acid was poured over her skin, different animal heads mutating out, as though trying the escape the monster they were apart of. Natasha could see massive wings, folded against the monster's back. Snakes hissed and writhed on top her head, her hair a terrifying and venomous salon nightmare. A huge snake was lashing from side to side, a living, deadly tail constantly on alert, watching it's surroundings.

          This monster would be very difficult to get past, let alone fight. Natasha knew with her all her deeply ingrained self preservation instincts that fighting that thing was a one way ticket to the nearest cemetery. Tony's eyes widened and he bit out several swear words. Natasha smacked the billionaire for being so noisy.

          She scanned the area, looking for where a prisoner might be held. Clint nudged her in the side and pointed out a tunnel at the other side of the cavern. She nodded. She edged back and whispered to the rest.

          "There is a tunnel leading away from this central room. That probably leads to the prisoners." Percy glanced over the edge, his swirling eyes finding the tunnel quickly. He turned back and nodded.

          "Ok. Nico, you take everyone down to that tunnel and find Annabeth. If there are other prisoners, release them. As soon as you find her, you shadow travel everyone you can to the surface. Take multiple trips if you have too. Thor and I will keep guard, and cause a distraction if we need too. But avoid catching Kampê's attention at all costs. Fighting her is a last resort." The others nodded in agreement. Natasha was confused. Shadow traveling? But there was no time to argue as they began to make their way down the trail at a much quicker pace than before, a renewed sense of purpose filling their every step.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:
> 
> *look and see


	77. Chapter 77

_Percy_

          He glanced at his cousin. Nico nodded back at him and leaned back to grab hold of Natasha and Clint. In the next blink he'd vanished, taking two of the Avengers with him. Steve, Thor and Bruce looked startled, reeling back in surprise. Luckily, they had the brains not to make any noise. Percy kept going forward, even as Nico reappeared and grabbed Steve and Bruce, using the shadows to sneak past Kampe. Thor crept after him as they continued to make their way down the cavern.

          "Look, both times we defeated her, we had to bury her under a mountain. All we need to do is distract her long enough to get everyone out, then drop the whole cavern on her." Thor nodded as Nico reappeared next to him.

          "Percy, you have to come with me. Now." Percy felt a shiver of fear run down his spine before placing his hand into his cousins. Nico grabbed Thor, and in the next moment the three of them melted into the shadows.


	78. Chapter 78

_Percy_

          He exited the rush of cold, landing directly in front of a celestial bronze enforced prison cell. Natasha was already kneeling next to the door, working on the lock as Tony muttered something about the impossibility of the refraction properties of magical metal while rubbing at his elbow, the metal of the suit looking suspiciously singed. Both Thor and Steve looked frustrated, but were standing careful guard at either end of the hallway, alert and on guard. Bruce hovered by Natasha's elbow, his brow furrowed as he intensely focused on a small lump huddled in the back of the cell. He slowly approached the cell door, the bronze glow of the bars doing very little to reach the back of the cell. He felt his heart seize in pain when he realized the small lump in the back of the cell was  _Annabeth_.

          Rage roared through his body as he took in her broken and battered appearance. Annabeth had lost every ounce of strength she'd regained since Tartarus. It was like seeing her shaking in the Doors of Death all over again, pressed against the elevator doors; battered and bruised. His heart stuttered in his chest as memories of the horrors they went through in the pit started to overwhelm him, but he pushed them away, focusing only on Annabeth. His sharp eyes took in every bruise, cut and scratch. Her body shifted slightly and he could see the celestial bronze chains winding around her body, cuffs tight on her wrists and ankles. In the dim glow of the metal he could see the skin around the cuffs was bloody and torn, probably from escape attempts and from thrashing in her sleep. Percy had no doubt her nightmares were worse than his because when she opened her eyes, she was still trapped inside one. Percy didn't realize that he was shaking until a warm hand wrapped around his shoulder, trying to calm him.

          "Percy, you need to stop." Nico murmured into his ear. He glanced at his cousin, enraged green eyes meeting the calm black irises of the son of Hades. 

          "Percy you need to get a hold of yourself, or you'll collapse the cavern on all of us, not just Kampe." Nico snapped. Percy abruptly realized that it wasn't him shaking, but the cavern itself.

 _Earthquake_. 

          Tony's eyes were wide as he looked at him, understanding crossing his face. Natasha glared at the lock in front of her before turning her glare onto Percy. He was making the rescue job harder. He reined in his temper as best he could, calming the outward display of his rage. Instead he wrapped his hands around the bars of the cell, grounding himself into the present while watching Annabeth intently. Slowly the shaking stopped. He crouched down low, eyes drinking in her appearance. He needed her awake. 

          "Wise Girl." He whispered. She flinched as though struck, but jolted upright immediately. Stormy grey eyes found him immediately, while the chains wrapping around her body clanked loudly with the movement. 

         "Percy." 


	79. Chapter 79

_Annabeth_

          "Percy." Speaking was painful, but she couldn't help herself. He was hope personified to her. Not Elpis, the spirit in Pandora's Pithos, but  _her_  hopes. Everything she ever wants, or needs personified. With him, she could do anything. Her other half.

          But she knew better than to believe him now. Annabeth knew that it was nothing more than a cruel trick. Something her mind liked to make up.

          "Annabeth I'm going to get you out of there ok? Just hang tight." The hallucination whispered to her roughly, drawing his sword. She smiled at him, drinking in the sight of him. The familiar green eyes, crinkled in the corners with worry, dark messy hair swept away from his eyes, fists flexing tightly around the hilt of his sword, the little scar on his chin from a shaving mishap when he was fourteen. She'd laughed so hard when he'd told her the story, best swordsman in three hundred years and he'd cut himself  _shaving._  She closed her eyes, savoring the happy memories that came flooding in each time this particular hallucination came to haunt her. Ever since her dream, he came to her. Taunting her with freedom that was just out of reach.

          "Annabeth - that's her name right? - Annabeth, I need you to open your eyes. I need you to stay awake ok? Annabeth?" An unfamiliar voice called to her. She was so tired, waking up the once to see Percy was enough for her. But the voice kept persisting. The stranger kept calling her name over and over again so she did. Dragging her eyes open, she scanned the front of her cell, finding Percy first then taking in the rest of the unusual scene.

         Understanding flared inside of her. She dragged her eyes back to the hallucination; no,  _not_  a hallucination.

          "Percy! Please tell me you didn't break on of our most important laws to get the  _Avengers_  to help rescue me!" She whisper shrieked at her  _very real_  boyfriend. A sheepish smile crossed his face even as he shook his head no.

          "Wise Girl I'm not  _that_  stupid." She glared at him. This coming from the boy who had challenged the god of war when they were twelve. The beginning of a very long demigod career of stupid, reckless and otherwise questionable decisions over the past half decade. Ocean colored eyes softened as a silly grin crossed his face.

          "Ok, ok I would be that stupid. But I swear I didn't break any laws. I had permission to tell them." He whispered to her through the bars, both hands wrapped tightly around them, as though he wanted to simply rip them down. Not that he could. Annabeth looked back to the redhead crouched next to the lock. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Next to her hovered Dr. Bruce Banner, the Hulk. He was the one talking to her, tired brown eyes laser focused on her. He'd visibly relaxed when she'd opened her eyes. Nico was slumped against the wall behind all of them, practically disappearing into the shadows. Tony Stark stood next to Percy, signature gold and red armor looking slightly singed. She could see the edge of a shield she'd seen in person one other time; during the invasion back in April, while Percy had still been missing. She had taken a small squadron of the most experienced greek demigods to defend the city, fighting guerilla style, avoiding cameras and protecting mortals as best they could. She been evacuating a bus when Captain America and Hawkeye had swooped in and pushed a horde of aliens back while she and Clarisse had taken the last few civilians to safety. She could feel the presence of a god nudging against her senses, and assumed that Thor had to be guarding the other end of the hallway.

         "You can't open it." Annabeth whispered. The Black Widow raised her head, eyes narrowed at her.

         "I'm good." Came the short response. Annabeth shook her head, lank, filthy hair falling around her shoulders.

         "No, I mean it's unpickable. Enchanted metal. If we're lucky, Percy or Nico's swords  _might_  be able to break it, but otherwise you're going to need the key." Clint Barton sidled out of the shadows from next to Nico.

         "And where do we get this key?" He asked. Annabeth raised defeated eyes to her boyfriend.

         "From around Kampe's neck."


	80. Chapter 80

_Percy_

          He peered around the corner of the tunnel. Kampe was curled around a large boulder, her hideous head resting on top of her scaly arms. At some point between when they'd arrived and now, the monstrous jailer had fallen asleep. But the animals at her waist had not. Soft growls and snarls could be heard as the various heads bubbled and melted from the monster's skin, snapping at the air before dissolving again. There was no sneaky way to get around her. And Percy remembered that the monster's hearing was incredible, even if Annabeth hadn't reminded him.

          Gods,  _Annabeth._

          His girlfriend was always the strongest person he knew (aside from his mom) and to see her so completely defeated in that cell had shattered a piece of Percy's heart. She'd thought he was a  _hallucination_. Like the idea of him rescuing her was so far fetched that it could only happen in her imagination. 

          Gods, how many times had that exact vision come to her? How many times had he come to her in waking dreams only to utterly crush her hopes of escape? His jaw clenched tightly, as he glared around the corner again. He could just barely see the key around her neck, jealously guarded by her snake hair. He flashed back to another monster he'd fought in a cave; one that at the time had felt insurmountable. Annabeth had been out of commission that time too.

          "Attack plan Macedonia." He ordered. Nico's eyes widened.

          "No!" He hissed. "How is that going to work? There's only two of us!" Percy threw a glance back at the Avengers. Nico's eyes widened. He shook his head wildly.

          "Are you insane? The only Avenger that can help is  _Thor_  and we're  _underground_. Macedonia  _won't_   _work_.  _Maybe_  the Daedalus formation could work, and even  _that_  is risky." Percy growled in frustration. He had been expecting an army. But who needed an army with Kampe?

          "I can collapse the cavern on her. We just need to distract Kampe long enough to get the key and get Annabeth out." Nico raised an incredulous eyebrow at Percy.

          "We  _only_  need to get the key off  _Kampe's_  neck, unlock the cell,  _then_  carry an unconscious demigod across the cavern, past said gigantic monster, up the path and out into the real world  _before_  you kill the monster that's only ever been killed by having mountains dropped on her. Sure, sounds like a great plan." Percy shook his head, pressing the tips of his fingers into the dirt around them, reaching out with his senses. He felt something  _ping_  at the edge of his awareness. A dark grin crossed his face. 

          "Trust me Nico. It will work, we just need to modify it a little." His cousin's eyes widened.

          "I'm not going to like the new plan any better am I?" Percy smiled, dark and cold.

          "Neither is Kampe." 


	81. Chapter 81

_Percy_

            He crouched low in the dark, in position to the far right of the sleeping monster. Kampe's snores rattled the cavern, and out the corner of his eye he noticed the shadows thicken where Nico was stationed.

            "NOW!" He yelled, leaping forward, Riptide drawn. Shadows shot forward, stabbing at the creature. Percy felt the familiar tug in his stomach as the stores of underground water he'd felt earlier burst through the walls of the cave, whirling angrily at the waking monster. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed at the Norse god's power struck.

            And above it all, the beautiful sound of the Hulk's angry roar could be heard.

            Kampe woke with a startled snarl, her expression confused and disoriented as she was blasted with shadow, water and electricity. Percy summoned water beneath his feet, carrying him high above the newly enraged monster. The Hulk leapt at her, pounding at Kampe before she could draw her swords. The animals that kept emerging from her waistline were unsuccessfully snapping at the invulnerable Hulk's green skin. Nico engaged the snake tail, Stygian Iron sword glowing with a menacing purple light. Thor continued to blast her with lightning, the god working around the Hulk, keeping the monster completely distracted. 

            Percy glanced down, gaging the distance between him and Kampe. Percy let the water supporting him fall, dropping down with it.

            Kampe looked up, her snake hair hissing with irritation as they drooped with water. Riptide flashed as he dropped past her neck, severing the chain on which the key was attached. A second later, a hard force slammed into him. Kampe had swatted him out of the air.

            Percy slammed into the wall, the harsh hissing of Kampe's ancient voice echoing triumphantly as the monster began to fight back in earnest, now that the element of surprise had worn off. Her swords dripping with the harsh green poison were drawn, and now Thor, Nico and Hulk were forced onto the defensive. But it didn't matter. Percy had the key, and Kampe had conveniently thrown him into the wall beside the tunnel that lead to Annabeth's cell. Natasha suddenly appeared in front of him, the red head's face blurring slightly. He held up his hand, key dangling down from the broken chain.

            "Get her out of here." He ordered, even though his voice slurred a little. Looking worried, the assassin did exactly as she was told, taking the bronze key from his hand and rushing away. Percy slumped down to the ground with a groan. It was too bad he didn't have any nectar or ambrosia on him. He reached up to push back his damp hair from where the water he'd summoned had dripped down the cave walls and soaked it. Percy sat up too quickly and his head spun.

 _Water_.

            Annabeth's voice echoed in his head, a teasing laugh ringing in the back of his mind.

 _"You're such a Seaweed Brain."_  Percy pressed his hand into the small puddle that had gathered on the floor, and instantly began to feel better. But it wasn't nearly enough. He reached out and began to pull more water, summoning every puddle on the floor, every drop from the walls. He reached out and felt the underground river he'd been borrowing from, and felt the sea rise within him. Once, he'd been told that no matter where he went, he'd always have the sea inside of him. It was a part of who he was. 

            With a harsh scream, Percy let all his power pour out of him and the cave boomed with the force of his power. Water swept in out of nowhere, pouring in from everywhere. The swirling masses of water were a symphony and Percy was the conductor. He remembered the giant crocodile he'd fought with Carter Kane once, and began to move the water into a wide circle. 

            Kampe lost her footing, quickly swept away by the forced of the whirlpool. But so were his friends. Percy, for once was thankful for his ADHD and spilt his focus in two;  maintaining most of his concentration on powering the whirlpool, the other focused on using the momentum of the currents to spit his friends out of the water.

            Nico hit the ground next to him with a grunt.

            "Ugh. I  _hate_  your plans." The son of Hades mumbled as he coughed up water. Percy just smiled grimly. He could already feel his powers draining away his strength, and knew that he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer  _and_  still collapse the cavern on Kampe.

            "Get them out of here. I'm right behind you." Nico reached down and helped Thor pick up the unconscious Bruce Banner who was now only wearing ragged pants that looked like they were going to fall off any moment. His cousin glared at him.

            "If you don't come out of this cave right behind us, and I mean  _right behind_  us I'm going to kill you." Percy laughed through gritted teeth.

            "Get them out of here Nico. I'll be right behind you." He repeated, the silent promise between them unspoken. He wouldn't make an unnecessary sacrifice. But he would make it if it meant everyone he loved getting out safely. Nico nodded and stumbled away, shouting hoarsely at the Avengers.

            Percy just gritted his teeth harder and concentrated. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!


	82. Chapter 82

_Nico_

          Some days he wondered why he'd ever loved Percy Jackson as much as he used to. This was definitely one of those days. The son of Poseidon was _annoying_.

          He limped down the tunnel, the weight of Bruce Banner dragging him down. He'd used a lot more of his powers in the last twenty minutes than he was supposed too, and Nico knew if he tried to shadow travel again, he would likely start to fade. And as much as he liked Will Solace, he had no intention of getting himself stuck in the infirmary with the cute son of Apollo again.

          "Hurry!" He called down the tunnel where the others were waiting, not putting Banner down. He glanced behind him to see Percy straining to maintain the whirlpool that was containing the massive monster. Steve Rogers came racing out of the tunnel, Annabeth held securely in his arms. The Black Widow and Hawkeye weren't far behind. Tony Stark came flying behind them, the soft glow from his repulsors marking his flight path.

          "Right. Powers." The billionaire said weakly, the mask of his suit sliding up as he took in the battle between Percy and Kampe. Every now and then, as the snake tail swept past the demigod, it tried to take a bite out of him. Percy just dodged it neatly, sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes dark with rage and narrowed in concentration. 

          "We've got to go. Now. Percy can't hold this up forever, and the only way we're going to be able to kill Kampe is if we collapse the entire cave on her. And the only way Percy is going to be able to do that is if we leave." Nico ordered, passing off the weight of the unconscious Banner to Clint Barton. He shook out his strained shoulders and drew his sword again, the stygian iron a familiar weight in his hand. 

          "We can't leave him." Steve Rogers said in shock. Nico shook his head.

          "We have too. He's going to follow behind us." The captain scoffed, stepping forward as if he was going to dive into battle. Nico grabbed his arm, stopping him. 

          "Captain, Percy has a habit of spitting at death in the eye and walking away unscathed. Trust that we know what we're doing." After another long moment Steve Rogers turned towards Iron Man.

          "Stark, once we're clear, you pull him out."

          "Copy that." Steve nodded once, and readjusted his grip on Annabeth. He looked back once more at the lone demigod, before he began to run, leading the way out of the cavern. Nico drew his sword, covering their retreat. The glow of repulsor blasts flashed through the cavern as Tony blasted the monster trapped in the whirling water. They raced up the path, the ground rumbling as Percy slowly lost his grip on his powers, his control slipping as he poured more and more power into containing the monster. Up ahead he spotted the square of sky through the exit to the Valley of Heroes, stars dotting the sky above the enchanted graveyard. Nico turned shouted back. 

          "Percy, NOW!" Tony Stark swooped down and picked up the son of the sea god and the water exploded one last time. Kampe roared angrily and she lost her footing again. The cavern shook with the force of Percy's power, rocks tumbling down onto the enraged she-monster. Glowing green poison dripped from the swords held in each scaly hand, and withered dragon wings shook themselves out. Nico and the others were nearly at the exit, Tony and Percy right behind them. Nico glanced back to see Kampe gaining steadily on them. He turns, slamming his sword into the ground, summoning the spirits of the heroes who's memories the enchanted graveyard protected.

 _*"εξυπηρετούν μου."_  He growled out. Thousands of white specters filled the air, and the roars and battle cries of allies and friends and many more filled the air; falling on the fearsome monster. Kampe screamed, her swords slicing through the air, ineffective against the insubstantial ghosts. The distraction proved enough for them all the burst through the exit of the cave into open air. Percy tumbled to the ground, exhaustion clear on his face. He dug his hand into the earth and with one final roar, Nico watched the cave collapse, the tunnel crumbling in on itself until Annabeth's marble headstone disintegrated to nothing but fine white powder. A soft breeze blew it away, leaving nothing behind but untouched grass. 

          There was nothing left to mark what had just happened. Nico crumpled to the ground, his vision greying. He'd  _definitely_  overdone it. A long low groan came from someplace nearby. It took him a moment to realize that the sound had come from him.

          Nico turned his head to look at the heap of tired heroes. He lifted his head up to make eye contact with Percy, who was cradling Annabeth's head in his lap, an infinitely soft expression on his face. No matter Aphrodite, it was those two that had always made Nico believe in love; even back when he was jealous of Annabeth. Percy glanced up at Nico, green eyes glittering with gratitude. The two greek sons of the Big Three shared a tired smile.

          They'd done it. Not only did they find the warrior in the earthen prison, but they also killed a monster even the gods were afraid of. He slumped back onto the grass and let out a slightly hysterical laugh, his eyes trained on the Huntress constellation above him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation
> 
> *Serve me


	83. Chapter 83

_Annabeth_

          She was warm.

          That was the first thing Annabeth registered. The second was the distinct lack of metal chains around her arms. After that everything else just filtered into place. The quiet bustle of movement, the lower murmur of voices, a warm hand holding hers.

          She blinked her eyes open to the familiar blue walls of the sick room in the Big House, and she nearly sobbed in relief. It wasn't a dream. Percy really did come for her, she really was free.

 _Percy_.

          He was sitting in the chair next to her, an empty bowl of what probably used to hold ambrosia sitting on the side table. He was gripping her hand tightly, as though letting go would mean she would vanish, his mouth slack as he snored softly. She snorted at the familiar line of drool dripping down his cheek. The sound startled him awake.

          "Annabeth!" He wiped his mouth sheepishly, even though his sea green eyes glittered with happiness.

          "What happened Seaweed Brain?" She asked, her voice rasping in her throat uncomfortably. Percy carefully helped her sit up, holding up a glass of nectar for her to drink from.

          "We killed Kampe, got you out. That's the important part. The rest of the prophecy can wait." Annabeth flinched so violently that Percy nearly dropped the godly drink.

          "Prophecy!"

          "Wise Girl, it's fine. I have it all under control." She snorted in disbelief. Percy laughed and shrugged, holding up the glass for her again.

          "Well, mostly under control. I figured out the first part of it all right didn't I?" She finished the drink, feeling the energy slowly return to her.

          "What does it say?" She asked, swallowing hard a few times to clear her throat. Percy laced his fingers through hers before reciting the lines for her.

_Fate in Three Parts_

_First came the sacrifice of warriors who once made this land their home,_

_Whom rest in the eternal peace of Elysian has yet to come,_

_Great tombs of heroes with polished marble hiding an earthen prison,_

_Only mortal eyes can find_

_Fate in Two Parts_

_Son of the Sea God shall rally great allies_

_The strength of neither storm nor mortal can stop the foe._

_A stranger shall not stop until she tears the city or the king limb from limb_

_Famed town must be held by ocean's guide_

_Fate_

_The upper realm shall witness the fall of a king in a house of gold,_

_For the strength of the ghost king shall hold her back,_

_Strength against strength; the king will be restored to power by Poseidon's son_

_Power unchecked until a trickster returns_

          Annabeth just sighed, her mind racing as she ran over the lines in her head.

          "At least it's fairly straight forward. The first part is obvious, you had to find me. But the rest of it... I don't know, this doesn't sound good." Percy just shrugged.

          "Best I figure though, this isn't something to do with the fate of the world. At least not in the way we're used too. This is different. It includes the mortal world." Annabeth nodded, her mind racing. Prophecies like this one always wrought big changes. The rise of Kronos, acknowledging all the gods, the rise of Gaea and the Roman demigods. What else could be coming? 

          To have a third major prophecy so soon... She didn't like the implications.

          "Well, as long as we're together, right?" She asked. Percy kissed her gently, a silly smile on his face.

          "As long as we're together." He agreed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter done. We're coming up on the end of this story, so thank you so much to everyone whose been sticking it out with me. I haven't started working on the next one yet, but I have a few ideas on how the prophecy is going to shake out. 
> 
> On another note; I've been reading a lot of the real family stories (Percy's uncle etc), and I've been thinking about doing one of my own. Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? Concerns? Requests? Let me know. 
> 
> Please keep commenting, I love feedback! I read every comment, and it means a lot to me to hear what you have to say!
> 
> Cheers, 
> 
> Hartley

**Author's Note:**

> My story; other people's characters. All pjo/hoo and marvel characters and worlds belong to their creators. Everything else is mine!
> 
> I love comments!


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